Colonel Matthew A. Astroth is the Vice Wing Commander of the 71st Flying Training Wing, Vance Air Force Base, Oklahoma. The wing consists of more than 2,700 personnel conducting specialized undergraduate pilot training for more than 400 U.S. Air Force and allied student pilots each year. The wing operates more than 200 aircraft, flies more than 49,000 sorties annually, and logs more than 71,000 flying hours each year.
Colonel Astroth graduated from the United States Air Force Academy in 2000. Following pilot training he flew medical evacuation support missions in the C-9A from Yokota Air Base, Japan and airlift support in the C-21A from Peterson Air Force Base in Colorado Springs. He was later assigned to Air Force Special Operations Command where he served as a command pilot accumulating over 1200 combat hours in the AC-130U/W gunships in support of Operations ENDURING FREEDOM, IRAQI FREEDOM, and INHERENT RESOLVE. Also during this time, he was the deployed mission commander for operations in both Iraq and Afghanistan. He finished his time in Air Force Special Operations Command as the commander of the 551 Special Operations Squadron at Cannon Air Force Base and as Deputy Group Commander of the 492 Special Operations Training Group at Hurlburt Field, Florida. Before Air War College, he served as an instructor at the Leadership Development Course for Squadron Command at the Ira C. Eaker Center for Professional Development at Maxwell Air Force Base.
EDUCATION
2000 Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering, United States Air Force Academy, Colorado Springs, Colo.
2000 Aerospace Basic Course, Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala.
2005 Squadron Officers School, Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala.
2006 Masters of Business Administration, Trident University International, Calif.
2013 Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala.
2021 Air War College, Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala.
ASSIGNMENTS
1. February 2001 – June 2002, Undergraduate Pilot Training, Laughlin AFB, Texas
2. June 2002 – October 2003, Pilot C-9A, Yokota Air Base, Japan
3. October 2003 – December 2005, Instructor Pilot, C-21A, Peterson AFB, Colo.
4. December 2005 - August 2012, Evaluator Pilot AC-130U, Hurlburt Field, Fla.
5. August 2012 – June 2013, Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
6. June 2013 – June 2015, Strategic Planner, Joint Special Operations Command, Fort Bragg, N.C.
7. June 2015 – June 2016, Assistant Operations Officer, 16 Special Operations Squadron, Cannon AFB, N.M.
8. June 2016 – May 2018, Operations Officer, 551 Special Operations Squadron, Cannon AFB, N.M.
9. May 2018 – November 2019, Commander, 551 Special Operations Squadron, Cannon AFB, N.M.
10. November 2019 – June 2020, Deputy Group Commander, 492 Special Operations Training Group,
Hurlburt Field, Fla.
11. June 2020 – July 2021, Instructor, Eaker Center Leadership Development Course, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
12. July 2021 – August 2022, Student, Air War College, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
13. August 2022 – Present, Vice Wing Commander, Vance Air Force Base, Okla.
MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
Aviator’s Post No. 743 Valor Award
Defense Meritorious Service Medal
Meritorious Service Medal with three oak leaf clusters
Air Medal with 9 oak leaf clusters
Joint Service Commendation Medal
EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION
Second Lieutenant May 29, 2000
First Lieutenant May 29, 2002
Captain May 29, 2004
Major June 1, 2012
Lieutenant Colonel April 1, 2017
Colonel June 1, 2021
(Current as of August 2022)