Col. Frederick E. Kuehn is the Deputy Commander of the 512th Airlift Wing, an Air Force Reserve Command associate wing located at Dover Air Force Base, Delaware. The 1,800-person wing supports AFRC’s and Air Mobility Command’s global airlift mission, operating C-5M Super Galaxy and C-17A Globemaster III aircraft.
Colonel Kuehn earned his Air Force commission in 2001 as a distinguished graduate of the Air Force ROTC program at Stevens Institute of Technology in Hoboken, New Jersey. He completed Joint Specialized Undergraduate Pilot Training at Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida, and Vance AFB, Oklahoma, in 2003 and served on active duty as a C-17 pilot before entering the Air Force Reserve in September 2007. Colonel Kuehn’s career in the Reserve includes assignments as a Traditional Reservist, Individual Mobilization Augmentee and Active Guard Reserve, encompassing airlift, air refueling, contingency response, multiple staff assignments, and command of a flight, squadron and wing. Prior to his current position, Colonel Kuehn served as the IMA to the Director of AFR Plans, Programs and Requirements, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, the Pentagon, Arlington, Virginia.
Colonel Kuehn is a joint qualified officer who has served on The Joint Staff, at combatant commands, and as part of HQ Air Force.
EDUCATION
2001 Bachelor of Engineering, Computer Engineering, Stevens Institute of Technology, Hoboken, N.J.
2001 Bachelor of Arts, History, Stevens Institute of Technology, Hoboken, N.J.
2006 Squadron Officer School, Air University, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
2008 Master of Business Administration, International Business, University of South Carolina, Columbia, S.C.
2010 International Junior Officer Development Seminar, Air Force Reserve Command, San Antonio, Texas
2010 Advanced Air Mobility Operations Course, Air Force Expeditionary Warfare Center, McGuire AFB, N.J.
2010 Reserve Officer Developmental Education (Phase 1 & 2), AFRC, Warner Robins AFB, Ga.
2011 Junior Officer Development Seminar, AFRC, Warner Robins AFB, Ga.
2013 Master of Military Studies, Marine Corps Command and Staff College, Marine Corps Base Quantico, Va.
2016 Leadership Today and Tomorrow (as mentor), AFRC, Warner Robins AFB, Ga.
2016 Reserve Component National Security Course, National Defense University, Washington, D.C.
2017 Joint Maritime Operations Course, Naval War College, Newport, R.I.
2018 Air War College, Air University, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
2019 Joint Humanitarian Operations Course, U.S. Agency for International Development, Washington, D.C.
2019 Defense Support of Civil Authorities Course – II, U.S. Northern Command, Colorado Springs, Colo.
2020 Joint Targeting Staff Officer Course, Joint Targeting School, Naval Station Norfolk, Va.
2020 Joint Combined Warfighting School - Hybrid, Joint Qualified Officer Level III, Joint Forces Staff College, Naval Station Norfolk, Va.
2023 NATO Senior Officer Policy Course, NATO School Oberammergau, Germany
ASSIGNMENTS
1. May 2001– October 2001, Assistant Recruiting Officer, Air Force ROTC Detachment 490, New Jersey Institute of Technology, Newark, N.J.
2. October 2001 – June 2002, Student Aviator, Training Squadron 3, U.S. Navy, Naval Air Station Pensacola, Fla., and NAS Whiting Field, Fla.
3. June 2002 – April 2003, Student Pilot, 32nd Flying Training Squadron, Vance Air Force Base, Okla.
4. April 2003 – August 2007, C-17 Aircraft Commander, Chief of Squadron Current Operations, 16th Airlift Squadron, Charleston AFB, S.C.
5. September 2007 – January 2010, C-17 Aircraft Commander, Squadron Safety Officer, 326 Airlift Squadron, Dover AFB, Del.
6. January 2010 – August 2013, Operations Officer, C-17 Instructor Pilot, 512th Airlift Control Flight, Dover AFB, Del.
7. August 2013 – January 2016, Joint Requirements Analyst, The Joint Staff, J8, Force Application Division, Washington, D.C.
8. January 2016 – April 2017, Commander, 452nd Airlift Control Flight, March Air Reserve Base, Calif.
9. April 2017 – September 2018, Commander, 452nd Contingency Response Squadron, March ARB, Calif.
10. September 2018 – June 2021, Joint Aerospace Operations Officer, 953rd Reserve Support Squadron, Joint Enabling Capabilities Command, Naval Station Norfolk, Va.
11. June 2021 – November 2022, Vice Commander, 434th Air Refueling Wing, Grissom ARB, Ind.
12. November 2022 – July 2024, Individual Mobilization Augmentee to the Director, Air Force Reserve Plans, Programs and Requirements, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, the Pentagon, Arlington, Va.
13. July 2024 – Present, Deputy Commander, 512th Airlift Wing, Dover AFB, Del.
SUMMARY OF JOINT ASSIGNMENTS
1. August 2013 – January 2016, Joint Requirements Analyst, The Joint Staff, J8, Force Application Division, Washington, D.C., as a major
2. September 2018 – June 2021, Joint Aerospace Operations Officer, Joint Planning Support Element, Joint Enabling Capabilities Command, Naval Station Norfolk, Virginia, as a lieutenant colonel
FLIGHT INFORMATION
Rating: Command Pilot
Flight Hours: More than 2,600
Aircraft Flown: T-34, T-1, C-17, KC-135
MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
Defense Meritorious Service Medal with oak leaf cluster
Meritorious Service Medal with four oak leaf clusters
Air Medal with four oak leaf clusters
Aerial Achievement Medal
Air and Space Commendation Medal with oak leaf cluster
EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION
Second Lieutenant May 30, 2001
First Lieutenant May 30, 2003
Captain May 30, 2005
Major May 1, 2011
Lieutenant Colonel Sept. 13, 2016
Colonel July 14, 2021
(Current as of September 2024)