The Air Force has chosen 13 officers to be nuclear and missile operations squadron commanders and chiefs of safety, the Air Force Personnel Center said Monday.
The list of selectees includes 11 lieutenant colonels and two lieutenant colonel-selects. They were chosen from 30 candidates, and those who didn't make the cut will be eligible for other jobs throughout 2016.
In the release, nuclear and missile operations career field manager Zannis Pappas said these jobs present great opportunities for officers.
"Selection for these positions is very competitive since we have many high quality nuclear and missile operations officers to choose from," Pappas said. "The officers selected were nominated by their supervisors and vetted by the nuclear and missile operations development team to the hiring authorities. They possess the right expertise and leadership qualities to lead airmen in accomplishing this critical Air Force mission."
The lieutenant colonels are:
Aguirre, Peter A. Jr.
Boughner, Derek M.
Byrd, Kevin W.
Hays, Daniel J.
Kasayka, Mark A.
Moore, Tytonia S.
Nelson, Jared C.
Schlabach, James L.
Schraeder, Brandon B.
Thrower, Robert S.
Wopat, Justine A.
The lieutenant colonel-selects are:
Douglas, Joel K.
Kindrick, Tory D.
Stephen Losey is the air warfare reporter for Defense News. He previously covered leadership and personnel issues at Air Force Times, and the Pentagon, special operations and air warfare at Military.com. He has traveled to the Middle East to cover U.S. Air Force operations.
