Col. Michael Gette is the Commander, 388th Fighter Wing, Hill Air Force Base, Utah. The wing's mission is to maintain combat readiness to deploy, employ, and sustain F-35s worldwide, in order to fly, fight and win any conflict. Col. Gette is responsible for the readiness, training, morale, and welfare of more than 2,000 personnel who maintain and operate F-35A aircraft across ten squadrons. Additionally, he provides operational oversight and direction for nearly 450 reserve maintainers and operators in the 419th Fighter Wing. He is also responsible for the Utah Test and Training Range, a 3.2-million-acre jewel in Utah’s west desert that provides operational test and evaluation of weapons requiring a large safety footprint.
Col. Gette entered the United States Air Force after graduating from the University of Colorado-Boulder in 1999. He has served as flight commander, chief of weapons and tactics, director of operations and fighter squadron commander as well as Joint Division Chief at NORAD Headquarters. He is a distinguished graduate of Reserve Officers Training Corps, Undergraduate Pilot Training, and the F-15E Weapons School. He also helped stand-up the first U.S. Air Force F-35 squadron as F-35 Initial Cadre. Prior to his current position, the colonel was the Vice Commander, 388th Fighter Wing, Hill AFB, Utah.
Col. Gette is a command pilot with more than 2,500 flying hours, including more than 250 combat hours over Iraq and Afghanistan.
EDUCATION
1999 Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colo.
2005 Squadron Officer’s School, Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala.
2008 USAF Weapons School, Nellis Air Force Base, Nev.
2010 Masters of Aeronautical Science, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, by correspondence.
2013 Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala.
2018 Masters of Science in National Resource Strategy, National Defense University, Washington D.C.
ASSIGNMENTS
1. July 1999 - June 2000, Asst. Executive Officer, 21st Operations Support Squadron, Peterson AFB, Colo.
2. June 2000 - November 2001, Student, Undergraduate Pilot Training, Laughlin AFB, Texas
3. November 2001 - September 2002, Student, F-15E Basic Course, Seymour Johnson AFB, N.C.
4. September 2002 - August 2005, Chief of Scheduling, 492nd Fighter Squadron, RAF Lakenheath, England
5. August 2005 - December 2007, Flight Commander, 333rd Fighter Squadron, Seymour Johnson AFB, N.C.
6. December 2007 - June 2008, Student, F-15E Weapons Instructor Course, Nellis AFB, Nev.
7. June 2008 - February 2010, Chief of Wing Weapons and Tactics, Mountain Home AFB, Idaho
8. February 2010 - June 2011, Assistant Director of Operations, 58th Fighter Squadron, Eglin AFB, Fla.
9. June 2011 - May 2012, Chief of AFCENT Weapons and Tactics, Al Udeid AB, Qatar
10. May 2012 - June 2013, Student, Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
11. June 2013 - May 2015, Director of Operations, 58th Fighter Squadron, Eglin AFB, Fla.
12. June 2015 - June 2017, Commander, 61st Fighter Squadron, Luke AFB, Ariz.
13. June 2017 - June 2018, Student, National Defense University, Washington D.C.
14. June 2018 - June 2021, Chief, Future Operations Division, Headquarters NORAD, Peterson AFB, Colo.
15. June 2021 - Present, Vice Commander, 388th Fighter Wing, Hill AFB, Utah
16. June 2023 - Present, Commander, 388th Fighter Wing, Hill AFB, Utah
FLIGHT INFORMATION
Rating: command pilot
Flight hours: more than 2,500, including more than 250 combat hours
Aircraft flown: F-35A, F-15E, T-38, and T-37
MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
Legion of Merit
Defense Superior Service Medal
Bronze Star
Meritorious Service Medal with two oak leaf clusters
Air Medal with oak leaf cluster
Air Force Commendation Medal with two oak leaf clusters
Meritorious Unit Award with oak leaf cluster
Air Force Outstanding Unit Award with four oak leaf clusters
Combat Readiness Medal
EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION
Second Lieutenant June 13, 1999
First Lieutenant June 13, 2001
Captain June 13, 2003
Major April 1, 2009
Lieutenant Colonel September 1, 2014
Colonel September 1, 2020
(Current as of June 2023)