Colonel DEREK. B. ROUTT

Col. Derek B. Routt currently serves as the Commander of the 177th Fighter Wing, New Jersey Air National Guard.  Prior to this assignment, Col. Routt was the Operations Group Commander of the 177th Fighter Wing, New Jersey Air National Guard.

Col. Routt entered the Air Force through ROTC as a graduate of Miami University in Oxford, Ohio in 1992. His career includes multiple F-16 and F-15 assignments in Air Combat Command, Pacific Air Forces and Air Education and Training Command. He also served in Air Force Space Command as a Missile Combat Crew Commander for Inter-Continental Ballistic Missiles.

He has been an ICBM Instructor, F-15 Instructor Pilot, F-16 IP, Flight Commander, Operations Officer, Deputy Group Commander and Deputy Chief of Staff for the 1st Air Force Commander. In 2006, Col. Routt joined the Air National Guard to start Total Force Integration with the USAF Aggressors at Nellis AFB.

Col. Routt is a Command pilot with more than 3,000 flying hours in the T-3, T-37, T-38, AT-38, F-15 and F-16.  In 2008, Col. Routt became the first Air National Guard pilot to serve on the United States Air Force Air Demonstration Squadron “Thunderbirds”.

 
EDUCATION
1992 Bachelor of Arts in History, Miami University, Oxford, Ohio
1995 Masters of Aeronautical Science, Embry Riddle Aeronautical University, Florida
2000 Outstanding Contributor, Squadron Officer School, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
2003 Air Command and Staff College, by seminar
2012 Air War College, by correspondence
2016 Honor Graduate, DOD Defense Support of Civil Authorities Course, Tyndall AFB, Fla.
2016 Air Force Forces Senior Staff Course, Hurlburt Field, Fla.
2017 Joint and Combined Warfighting School – JPME II, Norfolk, Va.
 
ASSIGNMENTS
1.    May 1993 – September 1993, Intercontinental Ballistic Missile Student, Vandenberg AFB, Calif.
2.    September 1993 – April 1996 ICBM Crew Commander, ICBM Instructor Deputy, Deputy Flight Commander,
       490th Missile Squadron, Malmstrom AFB, Mont.
3.    April 1996 – September 1997 Undergraduate Pilot Training, Laughlin AFB, Texas
4.    September 1997 – April 1998 Top Academic graduate, F-15C Initial qualification training, 2nd Fighter Sq., Tyndall
       AFB, Fla.
5.    April 1998 – February 2001 F-15C Pilot, Life Support Officer, 67th Fighter Sq., Kadena AB, Japan
6.    February 2001 – October 2003 Flight Commander, F-15C Instructor Pilot, 1st Fighter Sq., Tyndall AFB, Fla.
7.    October 2003 – July 2005 Assistant Operations Officer, F-16 Instructor Pilot, 64th Aggressor Sq., Nellis AFB,
       Nev.
8.    July 2005 – July 2006 Current Operations Flight Commander, F-16 Instructor Pilot, 57th Operations Support Sq.,
       Nellis AFB, Nev.
9.    July 2006 – August 2008 Nevada Air National Guard Det 1 Director Operations, Assistant Operations Officer,
       65th Aggressor Sq., F-15C Flight Examiner, Nellis AFB, Nev.
10.   August 2008 – January 2011 Operations Officer, F-16 Instructor Pilot, USAF Air Demonstration Sq.
       “Thunderbirds”, Nellis AFB, Nev.
11.   January 2011 – September 2011 Group Commander Deputy, F-16 Instructor Pilot, 57th Adversary Tactics
        Group, Nellis AFB, Nev.
12.   September 2011 – June 2012 Chief of Standardization and Evaluation 57th Wing, F16 Flight Examiner, Nellis
        AFB, Nev.
13.   June 2012 – March 2013 Chief of Standardization and Evaluation 57th Wing, F-15C Flight Examiner, Nellis AFB,
        Nev.
14.   March 2013 – May 2014 Chief Combat Air Forces Branch, NGB/A3OC, F-15C Instructor Pilot, Air National
        Guard Readiness Center (ANGRC), Andrews AFB, Md.
15.   May 2014 – October 2014 Air National Guard Chief of Flight Safety, F-15C Instructor Pilot, ANGRC, Andrews
        AFB, Md.
16.   October 2014 – June 2015 Chief Combat Air Forces Branch, NGB/A8PC, F-15C Instructor Pilot, ANGRC,
        Andrews AFB, Md.
17.   June 2015 – November 2017 Deputy Chief of Staff, CONUS NORAD Region-1st AF (Air Forces Northern),
        F-15C Instructor Pilot, Air Operations Center Chief of Combat Ops, Tyndall AFB, Fla.
18.   November 2017 – April 2021 Commander, 177th Operations Group, F-16 pilot, Atlantic City IAP, Egg Harbor
        Township, N.J.
19.   May 2020 – June 2020 F-15C Safety Investigation Board President, Air Combat Command HQ, Andrews AFB,
        Md.
20.   April 2021 – Present Commander, 177th Fighter Wing, Atlantic City IAP, Egg Harbor Township, N.J.
 
FLIGHT INFORMATION
Rating: Command Pilot
Flight hours: 3,000+, 82 combat
Aircraft Flown: T-3, T-37, T-38, AT-38, F-15C, F-16
 
MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
Meritorious Service Medal
Air Medal
Aerial Achievement Medal
Air Force Commendation Medal
Air Force Achievement Medal
AF Outstanding Unit Award
AF Organizational Excellence Award
Combat Readiness Medal
National Defense Service Medal
Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal
Global War on Terrorism Service Medal
Nuclear Deterrence Operations Service Medal with ‘N’ device
 
EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION
Second Lieutenant              Nov 11, 1992
First Lieutenant                   Nov 11, 1994
Captain                                Nov 11, 1996
Major                                   May 1, 2003
Lieutenant Colonel              Aug 28, 2008
Colonel                                Jun 27, 2015