Col. Tyler M. Griffith is the Deputy Commander of the 117th Air Refueling Wing, Sumpter Smith Joint National Guard Base, Birmingham, Alabama Air National Guard. He is responsible for providing leadership and direction for a Total Force wing comprised of more than 1200 military professionals, as well as overseeing all operational aspects in support of Air Mobility Command and the 117th Air Refueling Wing’s mission of performing global air refueling, airlift, and aeromedical evacuation in direct support of the Air Force’s Global Reach, Global Power missions.
Col. Griffith enlisted in the United States Marine Corps as a Stinger Gunner in 1988. He earned his U.S. Air Force commission through ROTC at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Prescott, AZ in 1993 prior to joining the Arizona Air National Guard. He has held various positions at the squadron, group, and wing level. Prior to his current position he was the Air National Guard Advisor to the AMC Inspector General, providing inspection coordination and support to AMC/IG, AMC ANG Integrated Staff, NGB/IG, and AMC-Gained ANG wing commanders.
Col. Griffith is a command pilot with more than 5,050 hours in the T-37 and KC-135E/R/T, including 397 combat hours and 76 combat support hours. He has deployed throughout Europe, the Pacific, Southeast Asia, and Western Asia in both staff and aircrew positions supporting contingency operations, theater security packages, humanitarian missions and aeromedical evacuation missions.
EDUCATION
1993 Bachelor of Science, Aeronautical Science, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Prescott, AZ
2003 Squadron Officer School, by correspondence 2013 Air War College, by correspondence
ASSIGNMENTS
1. September 1988 – November 1988, recruit, MCRD Parris Island, South Carolina
2. December 1988 – December 1989, Stinger Gunner, 1st LAAD BN, Futenma MCAS, Japan
3. January 1990 – January 1991, Stinger Gunner, 3rd LAAD BN, Camp Pendleton, CA
4. August 1994 – October 1995, student, Undergraduate Pilot Training, Reese AFB, Texas
5. November 1995 – September 1998, KC-135E pilot and Air Force Research Laboratory SME, 197th Air Refueling Squadron, Phoenix ANGB, AZ
6. October 1998 – May 2002, T-37 Instructor Pilot, squadron programing chief, flight commander, and assistant operations officer, 84th Flying Training Squadron, Laughlin AFB, TX
7. June 2003 – December 2009, KC-135 E/R Instructor Pilot, executive officer, Operations Support Flight Commander, and weapons and tactics chief, 161st Operations Group, Phoenix ANGB, AZ
8. January 2010 – November 2013, Chief of Safety, 161st Air Refueling Wing, Phoenix ANGB, AZ
9. December 2013 – May 2015, Chief, Standardization and Evaluations, 161st Operations Group, Phoenix ANGB, AZ
10. June 2015 – April 2018, Commander, 161st Operations Support Squadron, Goldwater ANGB, AZ
11. June 2018 – Dec 2019, Deputy Commander, 161st Operations Group, Goldwater ANGB, AZ
12. Jan 2019 – Aug 2019, Chief, Nuclear Division, Office of the Inspector General, Headquarters Air Mobility Command, Scott AFB, IL
13. Aug 2019 – Jan 2021, Air National Guard Advisor, Office of the Inspector General, Headquarters Air Mobility Command, Scott AFB, IL
14. Feb 2021 – Present, Deputy Commander, 117th Air Refueling Wing, Sumpter Smith JNGB, Birmingham, AL
FLIGHT INFORMATION
Rating: Command Pilot
Flight hours: More than 5,050 (including 397 combat hours and 76 combat support hours)
Aircraft flown: T-37, T-1, KC-135E/R/T
MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
Meritorious Service Medal with two oak leaf clusters
Air Medal
Aerial Achievement Medal
Air Force Commendation Medal
Air Force Achievement Medal with oak leaf cluster
Combat Readiness Medal with eight oak leaf clusters
National Defense Service Medal with bronze star
Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal
Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal with two bronze stars
Global War on Terrorism Service Medal
Armed Forces Service Medal
Humanitarian Service Medal
Nuclear Deterrence Operations Service Medal with oak leaf cluster
Air Force Expeditionary Service Ribbon with gold border and two oak leaf clusters
Sea Service Deployment Ribbon
(Current as of November 2023)