Colonel KEVIN D. HICOK

Col. Kevin D. Hicok is the Commander of the 20th Fighter Wing, Shaw Air Force Base, S.C. The wing's mission is to provide, project and sustain combat-ready air forces. He is responsible for the mission readiness of the wing’s 79 aircraft, 18 squadrons, stewardship of Shaw, and the health and welfare of 8,000 active duty Airmen and civilians. Furthermore, Col. Hicok supervises the support of the 31,000 local military retirees and 29 geographically separated units across nine states.

Col. Hicok received his commission as a distinguished graduate of the Air Force ROTC program from the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, Minn. in 2001. He has served as an F-16 pilot, instructor pilot, flight examiner, weapons officer, and instructor at the USAF Fighter Weapons School at Nellis AFB, Nev. Col. Hicok also served as the Commander, 51st Operations Support Squadron, Osan AB, Republic of Korea. Prior to his current position, he served as the Deputy Commander of the 20th Fighter Wing.

Col. Hicok is a command pilot with over 2,100 hours in the F-16. He deployed in support of Operation IRAQI FREEDOM and flew 191 combat hours. Additionally, Col. Hicok served as an advisor to the 603d and 617th Air Operations Centers during crisis action planning and execution of Operation ODYSSEY DAWN and Operation UNIFIED PROTECTOR.

EDUCATION
2001 Bachelor of Aerospace Engineering and Mechanics, University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, Minn.
2008 Squadron Officer School, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
2009 USAF Weapons Instructor Course, Nellis AFB, Nev.
2011 Air Command and Staff College, by correspondence
2011 Masters of Business Administration, Trident University International
2015 Masters of National Strategic & Security Studies, College of Naval Command & Staff, R.I.
2019 Masters of National Security Strategy with Cyber Security Leadership Concentration, National War College, Ft McNair, Washington, D.C.

ASSIGNMENTS
1. Jun 2001–Jun 2002, Squadron Programmer, 494th Fighter Squadron, Lakenheath AB, U.K.
2. Jun 2002–Aug 2003, Student, Undergraduate Pilot Training, Moody AFB, Ga. & Laughlin AFB, Texas
3. Aug 2003–Jan 2004, Student, Introduction to Fighter Fundamentals, Moody AFB, Ga.
4. Feb 2004–Dec 2004, Student, F-16 replacement training unit, 63d Fighter Squadron, Luke AFB, Ariz.
5. Dec 2004–Jan 2008, F-16 Instructor Pilot and Flight Examiner, 13th Fighter Squadron, Misawa AB, Japan
6. Jan 2008–Dec 2008, F-16 Instructor Pilot and Flight Examiner, 35th Operations Group, Misawa AB, Japan
7. Jul 2009–Oct 2010, F-16 Instructor Pilot and Weapons Officer, 22d Fighter Squadron, Spangdahlem AB, Germany
8. Oct 2010–May 2011, Wing Weapons Officer, 52d Operations Support Squadron, Spangdahlem AB, Germany
9. May 2011–Jun 2013, Chief of Squadron Stan-Eval, 16th Weapons Squadron, Nellis AFB, Nev.
10. Jun 2013–Jun 2014, Director of Operations, 57th Operations Support Squadron, Nellis AFB, Nev.
11. Jul 2014–Jun 2015, Student, College of Naval Command and Staff, Naval Station Newport, R.I.
12. Oct 2015–Jun 2016, Director of Operations, 36th Fighter Squadron, Osan AB, Republic of Korea
13. Jun 2016–Jun 2018, Commander, 51st Operations Support Squadron, Osan AB, Republic of Korea
14. Jul 2018–Jun 2019, Student, National War College, Fort McNair, Washington, D.C.
15. Jun 2019–Jul 2021, Branch Chief and Action Officer, Special Technical Operations Division, Global Operations (J39), Joint Staff, the Pentagon, Arlington, Va.
16. Jul 2021–Jun 2024, Deputy Commander, 20th Fighter Wing, Shaw Air Force Base, S.C.
17. Jun 2024–Present, Commander, 20th Fighter Wing, Shaw Air Force Base, S.C.

SUMMARY OF JOINT ASSIGNMENTS
1. Jun 2019–Jul 2021, Branch Chief, Special Technical Operations Division, Global Operations (J39), Joint Staff, the Pentagon, Arlington, Va.

FLIGHT INFORMATION
Rating: command pilot
Flight hours: more than 2,000, including 191 combat hours
Aircraft flown: F-16 Blocks 30/40/42/50/52, T-6 and T-38

MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
Legion of Merit
Defense Meritorious Service Medal
Meritorious Service Medal with three oak leaf clusters
Air Medal with oak leaf cluster
Aerial Achievement Medal
Air Force Commendation Medal with two oak leaf clusters
Air Force Achievement Medal
Combat Readiness Medal with two oak leaf clusters
Iraq Campaign Medal with bronze star
Korean Defense Service Medal
NATO Medal – Operation Unified Protector

OTHER ACHIEVEMENTS
Distinguished Graduate and Daedalian Award, Undergraduate Pilot Training, 2003
Distinguished Graduate, Introduction to Fighter Fundamentals, 2004
Distinguished Graduate, F-16 RTU, 2004
Distinguished Graduate, Squadron Officer School, 2008
F-16 Flying Award, Weapons Instructor Class 09A, USAF Weapons School, 2009
Graduate with Highest Distinction, College of Naval Command and Staff, 2015

EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION
Second Lieutenant May 2001
First Lieutenant May 2003
Captain May 2005
Major June 2011
Lieutenant Colonel January 2016
Colonel February 2021

(Current as of Jun 2024)