Colonel Scott W. Walker is the Vice Commander, 56th Fighter Wing, Luke Air Force Base, Arizona. The wing's mission is to train the world’s greatest fighter pilots and combat ready Airmen. As part of Air Education and Training Command, and home to 25 squadrons with F-16 Fighting Falcon and F-35A Lightning II aircraft, the 56th is the largest fighter wing in the U.S. Air Force and graduates more than 90 F-35 pilots, 300 F-16 pilots, and 300 air control professionals annually. Additionally, the 56th Fighter Wing oversees the Gila Bend Air Force Auxiliary Field and is steward of the Barry M. Goldwater Range, a military training range spanning more than 1.7 million acres of Sonoran desert.
Col. Walker received his commission from the United States Air Force Academy in 1996. He has held staff positions at Headquarters Air Force, Pentagon, United Nations Command / Combined Forces Command / U.S. Forces Korea Command at U.S. Army Garrison Yongsan, Republic of Korea, and Chief of Inspections Division, Headquarters Pacific Air Forces Inspector General, Hickam Air Force Base, Hawaii. Prior to his current assignment, he was the Commander, 8th Operations Group, Kunsan Air Base, Republic of Korea.
Colonel Walker is a command pilot with over 3,000 flying hours in the T-3, T-34C, T-37, T-38, AT-38C, and F-16. He has more than 560 combat flying hours and has flown combat missions in Operations Iraqi Freedom, Enduring Freedom, and Freedom Sentinel.
EDUCATION
1996 Bachelor of Science degree in Geography, U.S. Air Force Academy, Colo.
2003 Squadron Officer School, Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala.
2010 Masters of Military Art and Science, Command and General Staff College, Ft. Leavenworth, Kan.
2016 Master of Strategic Studies degree, Air War College, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
ASSIGNMENTS
1. November 1996 – May 1997, Student, Joint Undergraduate Navigator Training, Pensacola Naval Air Station, Fla.
2. May 1997 – January 1998, Student, Undergraduate Navigator Training, Randolph AFB, Texas
3. July 1998 – November 1999, KC-135 Navigator, 909th Air Refueling Squadron, Kadena Air Base, Japan
4. November 1999 – March 2000, KC-135 Instructor/Evaluator Navigator, 909th Air Refueling Squadron, Kadena AB, Japan
5. November 2000 – June 2002, Student, Euro-NATO Joint Jet Pilot Training, Sheppard AFB, Texas
6. June 2002 – January 2003, Student, F-16 Fighter Training Unit, 309th Fighter Squadron, Luke AFB, Ariz.
7. January 2003 – January 2005, F-16 Pilot, 555th Fighter Squadron, Aviano AB, Italy
8. August 2005 – March 2006, F-16 Pilot, Wing Flight Safety Officer, 31st Fighter Wing, Aviano AB, Italy
9. March 2006 – April 2007, F-16 Instructor Pilot, Chief of Safety, 8th Fighter Wing, Kunsan AB, Republic of Korea
10. April 2007 – August 2008, Aide-de-Camp, Commander United Nations Command/Combined Forces Command/United States Forces Korea, U.S. Army Garrison Yongsan, Republic of Korea
11. August 2008 – June 2009, Chief of Coal Warfighter Division, Headquarters Air Force, Pentagon, Va.
12. June 2009 – June 2010, Student, Army Command and General Staff College, Ft. Leavenworth, Kan.
13. November 2010 – August 2011, F-16 Instructor Pilot, 55th Fighter Squadron, Shaw AFB, S.C.
14. August 2011 – October 2012, Chief of Safety, 20th Fighter Wing, Shaw AFB, S.C.
15. October 2012 – September 2014, Commander, Detachment 93 Active Associate, Homestead Air Reserve Base, Homestead, Fla.
16. September 2014 – July 2015, Deputy Commander, 20th Operations Group, Shaw AFB, S.C.
17. July 2015 – May 2016, Student, Air War College, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
18. August 2016 – August 2017, Chief of Air-to-Ground Inspections, Headquarters Pacific Air Forces Inspector General, Hickam AFB, Hawaii
19. August 2017 – May 2018, Chief of Inspections Division, Headquarters Pacific Air Forces Inspector General, Hickam AFB, Hawaii
20. June 2018 – July 2019, Commander, 8th Operations Group, Kunsan AB, Republic of Korea
21. July 2019 – Present, Vice Commander, 56th Fighter Wing, Luke AFB, AZ.
FLIGHT INFORMATION
Rating: Command Pilot
Flight hours: More than 3,000 including 562 combat hours
Aircraft flown: T-3, T-34C, T-37, T-38, AT-38C, F-16 Blocks 30/40/42/50
MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
Legion of Merit
Defense Meritorious Service Medal
Meritorious Service Medal with five oak leaf clusters
Air Medal with three oak leaf clusters
Aerial Achievement Medal
Air Force Commendation Medal with oak leaf cluster
Air Force Achievement Medal
Combat Readiness Medal with bronze star
Air & Space Campaign Medal
NATO Medal
EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION
Second Lieutenant May 29, 1996
First Lieutenant May 29, 1998
Captain May 29, 2000
Major May 1, 2006
Lieutenant Colonel August 1, 2011
Colonel October 1, 2017
(Current as of August 2019)