Colonel Timothy Griffith is the Deputy Commander, 509th Bomb Wing, Whiteman Air Force Base, Missouri. He is responsible for the combat readiness of the Air Force's only B-2 base, including development and employment of the B-2's combat capability as part of Air Force Global Strike Command. As the installation Deputy Commander, he provides logistics support for the 442d Fighter Wing, Air Force Reserve; 131st Bomb Wing, Missouri Air National Guard; 20th Attack Squadron, Air Combat Command; and the 1st Battalion, 135th Assault Helicopter Battalion, Missouri Army National Guard. Additionally, he manages flying assets in excess of $46 billion and an annual operations and maintenance budget of $147 million.
Colonel Griffith received his commission in 2002 after graduating from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York. He served in a variety of operational assignments as a B-1 instructor and evaluator pilot. His staff assignments include positions on the Joint Staff and the Air Staff in Washington, D.C. Prior to his current assignment, Colonel Griffith served as the director of the B-21 Integration and System Management Office where he liaised between Air Force Global Strike Command and the Department of the Air Force Rapid Capability Office, supporting the development of the B-21.
Colonel Griffith is a Command Pilot and graduate of the U.S. Air Force Weapons School with more than 2,600 total flight hours, including 1,100 combat hours in support of multiple contingency operations.
EDUCATION
2002 Bachelor of Science Degree in Electrical Engineering, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, N.Y.
2009 Squadron Officer School, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
2009 USAF Weapons Instructor Course, Nellis AFB, Nev.
2010 Master of Aeronautical Science, Embry Riddle Aeronautical University, Daytona, Fla.
2014 Master of Science & Technology Intelligence, National Intelligence University, Washington, D.C.
2021 National Security Fellow, Harvard Kennedy School, Cambridge, Mass.
ASSIGNMENTS
1. June 2002– February 2003, Awaiting Pilot Training, 11th Air Support Operations Squadron, Ft. Hood, Texas
2. February 2003 – March 2004, Student, Undergraduate Pilot Training, Laughlin AFB, Texas
3. March 2004 – May 2005, Student, B-1B Initial Qualification Course, 28th Bomb Squadron, Dyess AFB, Texas
4. May 2005 – June 2009, Instructor Pilot, Flight Commander, 37th Bomb Squadron, Ellsworth AFB, S.D.
5. June 2009 – December 2009, Student, U.S. Air Force Weapons School, 77th Weapons Squadron, Nellis AFB, Nev.
6. December 2009 – February 2011, Assistant Chief of Weapons & Tactics, 9th Bomb Squadron, Dyess AFB, Texas
7. February 2011 – June 2013, Assistant Director of Operations, 77th Weapons Squadron, Nellis AFB, Nev.
8. June 2013 – June 2014, Student, National Intelligence University, Washington D.C.
9. June 2014 – May 2016, Force Readiness Branch Chief, Operations Directorate (J-3), Joint Staff, the Pentagon, Arlington, Va.
10. May 2016 – July 2017, Director of Operations, 28th Operations Support Squadron, Ellsworth AFB, S.D.
11. July 2017 – February 2018, Deputy Commander, 28th Operations Group, Ellsworth AFB, S.D.
12. February 2018 – February 2020, Commander, 34th Bomb Squadron, Ellsworth AFB, S.D.
13. February 2020 – July 2020; Deputy Commander, 28th Operations Group, Ellsworth AFB, S.D.
14. July 2020 – July 2021; National Security Fellow, John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University, Cambridge, Mass.
15. July 2021 – May 2023; Deputy, Combat Air Forces Requirements Division, Deputy Chief of Staff for Strategy, Integration and Requirements, Headquarters Air Force, the Pentagon, Arlington, Va.
16. May 2023 – May 2024; Director of B-21 Integration and System Management Office, Headquarters Air Force Global Strike Command, Joint Base Anacostia Bolling, Washington, D.C.
17. May 2024 – Present; Deputy Commander, 509th Bomb Wing, Whiteman AFB, Mo.
SUMMARY OF JOINT ASSIGNMENTS
1. June 2014 – May 2016, Force Readiness Branch Chief, Operations Directorate (J-3), Joint Staff, Washington, D.C., as a major
FLIGHT INFORMATION
Rating: command pilot
Flight hours: 2600
Aircraft flown: T-6, T-38, B-1B, and B-2A
MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
Legion of Merit
Defense Meritorious Service Medal
Meritorious Service Medal with three oak leaf clusters
Air Medal with three oak leaf clusters
Aerial Achievement Medal
Air Force Commendation Medal with two oak leaf clusters
Air Force Achievement Medal
Joint Meritorious Unit Award with oak leaf cluster
Meritorious Unit Award with silver oak leaf cluster
Air Force Outstanding Unit Award
Combat Readiness Medal with oak leaf cluster
National Defense Service Medal with bronze star
Afghanistan Campaign Medal with bronze star
Inherent Resolve Campaign Medal with bronze star
GWOT Expeditionary Medal
GWOT Service Medal
Nuclear Deterrence Operations Service Medal
Air Force Overseas Ribbon (Short) with oak leaf cluster
USAF Expeditionary Service Ribbon with Gold Border and three oak leaf clusters
USAF Longevity Service Ribbon with three oak leaf clusters
Air Force Training Ribbon
EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION
Second Lieutenant May 29, 2002
First Lieutenant May 29, 2004
Captain May 29, 2006
Major July 1, 2012
Lieutenant Colonel May 1, 2017
Colonel April 1, 2023
(Current as of May 2024)