Col. Hugh "Hoot" Walker III is the Commander, 20th Fighter Wing, Shaw Air Force Base, South Carolina. He leads the Air Force's largest F-16 Fighting Falcon fighter aircraft combat wing, comprising 78 aircraft and 18 squadrons. The wing provides, projects, and sustains combat-ready airpower while serving as stewards of Shaw AFB and supporting the health and welfare of more than 8,000 active-duty Airmen and civilians. Additionally, the 20th Fighter Wing supports 31,000 local military retirees and 29 geographically separated units across nine states.
Prior to Shaw, Colonel Walker served as the Deputy Executive Officer to the Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff. In this position, he personally supported the Chairman in his role as the principal military advisor to the President of the United States, the Secretary of Defense, and Congress. Col Walker also served as the military deputy for the Joint Staff’s Generative AI Task Force, TF 37-78, where he drove cutting-edge AI adoption across the Joint Staff’s 2,200-person enterprise.
Prior to assuming command, Col. Walker served as the Deputy Commander, 20th Fighter Wing, where he directed the generation and deployment of combat F-16 forces supporting Operations ROUGH RIDER, MIDNIGHT HAMMER, and EPIC FURY. Throughout his career, Col. Walker has held key operational and staff positions, including Commander of the F-16 Weapons Squadron at the U.S. Air Force Weapons School, Director of the Commander's Action Group for Air Combat Command, and Deputy Executive Officer to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. He has also served as the Chief of Staff of the Air Force Scholar at Princeton University and a USINDOPACOM Scholar at the National War College.
Col. Walker received his commission in 2004 as a graduate of the United States Air Force Academy and earned his pilot wings in 2006 from Joint Specialized Undergraduate Pilot Training at Columbus Air Force Base, Mississippi. He is a command pilot with over 2,000 hours flying the F-16, including 725 combat hours.
EDUCATION:
2004 Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering, United States Air Force Academy, Colo.
2004 Air and Space Basic Course, Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala.
2010 Squadron Officer School, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
2011 United States Air Force Weapons School, Nellis AFB, Nev.
2012 Master of Military Operational Art and Science, Air University, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
2017 Master of Public Policy, CSAF Scholar, Princeton University, Princeton, N.J.
2021 Master of National Security Strategy, USINDOPACOM Scholar, National War College, Washington, D.C.
2022 Machine Learning in Business Course, MIT Sloan School of Management and MIT Computer Science and AI Laboratory, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Mass.
2023 AI for National Security Leaders, MIT Sloan School of Management and MIT Computer Science and AI Laboratory, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Mass.
ASSIGNMENTS:
1. June 2004 - April 2005, Training officer, 32nd Air Refueling Squadron, McGuire Air Force Base, N.J.
2. April 2005 - May 2006, Student, undergraduate pilot training, Columbus AFB, Miss.
3. May 2006 - May 2007, Student, F-16 training, Kelly Field, Texas
4. May 2007 - May 2008, Standardization and Evaluation Liaison Officer, 80th Fighter Squadron, Kunsan Air Base, Republic of Korea
5. May 2008 - December 2010, Instructor pilot, Chief of Standardization and Evaluation Flight Examiner, 23rd and 480th Fighter Squadrons, Spangdahlem AB, Germany (September 2009 – February 2010, Assistant Chief of Weapons, 23rd Expeditionary Fighter Squadron, Balad AB, Iraq)
6. January 2011 - June 2011, Student, 16th Weapons Squadron, United States Air Force Weapons School, Nellis AFB, Nev.
7. July 2011 - August 2013, Weapons Officer, Chief Instructor, and Flight Commander, 77th Fighter Squadron, Shaw AFB, S.C. (July 2011 – September 2011, 77th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron, Aviano AB, Italy) (October 2012 – April 2013, 77th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron, Kandahar AB, Afghanistan)
8. August 2013 - June 2016, Director of Operations and Instructor, 16th Weapons Squadron, United States Air Force Weapons School, Nellis AFB, Nev.
9. July 2016 – June 2017, Air Force Fellow and Graduate Student, Princeton University, Princeton, N.J.
10. July 2017 – July 2019, Commander, 16th Weapons Squadron, United States Air Force Weapons School, Nellis AFB, Nev.
11. July 2019 – June 2020, Director, Commander’s Action Group, Air Combat Command, Langley AFB, Va.
12. Jun 2020 – June 2021, Student, National War College, Fort Lesley J. McNair, Washington, D.C.
13. June 2021 – April 2022, Action Officer, J-39, The Joint Staff, the Pentagon, Arlington, Va.
14. April 2022 – April 2024, Deputy Executive Officer to the Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff, the Pentagon, Arlington, Va.
15. April 2024 – June 2024, Military Deputy, Joint Staff Generative AI Task Force (TF 37-78), the Pentagon, Arlington, Va.
16. June 2024 – July 2026, Deputy Commander, 20th Fighter Wing, Shaw AFB, S.C.
17. July 2026 – Present, Commander, 20th Fighter Wing, Shaw AFB, S.C.
SUMMARY OF JOINT ASSIGNMENTS
1. June 2021 – April 2022, Action Officer, J-39, The Joint Staff, the Pentagon, Arlington, Va., as a lieutenant colonel
2. April 2022 – April 2024, Deputy Executive Officer to the Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff, the Pentagon, Arlington, Va., as a colonel
3. April 2024 – June 2024, Military Deputy, Joint Staff Generative AI Task Force (TF 37-78), the Pentagon, Arlington, Va., as a colonel
FLIGHT INFORMATION
Rating: command pilot
Flight hours: more than 2,200
Aircraft flown: T-38, T-37 and F-16
MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
Defense Superior Service Medal
Legion of Merit
Meritorious Service Medal with three oak leaf clusters
Air Medal with oak leaf cluster
Aerial Achievement Medal
Air and Space Commendation Medal with two oak leaf clusters
Combat Action Medal
Afghanistan Campaign Medal with bronze start
Iraq Campaign Medal with bronze star
Korean Defense Service Medal
NATO Medal with bronze star (OUP Libya)
OTHER ACHIEVEMENTS
2010 Distinguished Graduate, Squadron Officer School
2011 Distinguished Graduate, U.S Air Force Weapons School
2011 U.S. Air Force Weapons School Robbie Risner Award
2012 U.S. Air Force Shine Award
2021 Air Force Association Writing Award, National War College
(Current as of August 2026)