Colonel Michael S. Griesbaum is the Commander, 168th Wing, Alaska Air National Guard, Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska. The 168th Wing provides the U.S. Air Force the capabilities of global reach and vigilance through the combined operations of air refueling, missile warning, and space surveillance. The unit maintains a constant watch and commitment for Pacific Air Forces, Northern and Air Force Space Commands, and the Alaskan North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) Region.
Colonel Griesbaum joined the Air Force in 1989 and received his commission as a Second Lieutenant through the Reserve Officer Training Corps upon graduation from the University of Washington in Seattle, Washington. In 1991, he completed Undergraduate Pilot Training at Williams Air Force Base, Arizona. Later that year, he joined the Alaska Air National Guard as an HC- 130 pilot in the newly formed 210th Air Rescue Squadron, and later as a founding member of the 211th Rescue Squadron. He has held command at the squadron and group level. He has deployed multiple times in support of Operations DESERT SHIELD, SOUTHERN WATCH, NORTHERN WATCH, and ENDURING FREEDOM as both an aircrew member and maintenance officer.
Colonel Griesbaum is a Command Pilot with more than 5,000 flight hours, and has been credited with more than 125 lives saved.
EDUCATION
1989 Bachelor of Science, University of Washington
1999 Squadron Officer School (Correspondence)
2006 Air Command and Staff College (Correspondence)
2013 Air War College (Correspondence)
ASSIGNMENTS
- March 1992 – October 2004 HC-130 Pilot, 210th and 211th Rescue Squadrons
- October 2004 – May 2007, Officer-in-Charge, Quality Assurance, 176th Maintenance Group
- May 2007 – May 2012, Commander, 176th Maintenance Squadron
- May 2012 – November 2014, Deputy Commander, 176th Operations Group
- November 2014 – June 2018, Commander, 176th Maintenance Group
- June 2018 – September 2020, Director of Operations and Plans, Eleventh Air Force
- September 2020 – August 2021, Chief of Staff, Air National Guard Operations
- August 2021 – September 2021, Deputy Director for Plans and Execution, Air National Guard Operations
- October 2021 – Present, Commander, 168th Wing, Eielson AFB, Alaska
MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
Meritorious Service Medal with two oak leaf clusters
Air Medal with one oak leaf clusters
Aerial Achievement Medal with three oak leaf clusters
EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION
Second Lieutenant, Dec. 4, 1989
First Lieutenant, Nov. 5, 1992
Captain, Nov. 22, 1994
Major, Nov. 22, 2001
Lieutenant Colonel, Oct. 19, 2007
Colonel, July 27, 2015
(Current as of October 2021)