Colonel Bill Creeden is the Commander of the 1st Fighter Wing, Air Combat Command, Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Virginia. He is responsible for the worldwide rapid deployment and employment of F-22 air dominance fighters in support of Combatant Commander taskings. He oversees 1,700 personnel, two airfields, two groups, and six squadrons, including two F-22 fighter squadrons and a T-38 fighter training squadron.
Colonel Creeden is a command pilot with 1600 hours in the F-22 and F-15C. He has served in five different fighter squadrons, three fighter wings, and at both the MAJCOM and OSD level, as well as commanding at both the Fighter Squadron and Operations Group level. He is a graduate of the Naval Command & Staff College and the Maritime Advanced Warfighting School, as well as the National War College. Prior to his current position, Colonel Creeden was commander of the 53d Test and Evaluation Group (TEG), Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada. In this capacity, he oversaw execution of operational test and evaluation and tactics development efforts for Air Combat Command.
EDUCATION
2000 Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Administration, George Mason University, Fairfax, VA.
2006 Squadron Officers School, Maxwell AFB, AL.
2010 Master’s Degree in Military Arts and Sciences, Air University, Maxwell AFB, AL.
2012 Master’s Degree in National Security and Strategic Studies (IDE), U.S. Naval War College, Newport, RI.
2012 Advanced Studies Group, Maritime Advanced Warfighting School, Newport, RI.
2017 Master’s Degree in National Security Strategy, National War College, Ft McNair, Washington D.C.
2018 U.S. Air Force Executive Program, Political-Economic Conflict Seminar, Alan L. Freed Associates, Washington, D.C.
2019 U.S. Air Force Executive Program, INDO-PACOM Theatre Strategy, Alan L. Freed Associates, Washington, D.C.
ASSIGNMENTS
1. Aug 2000 – Sept 2001, Student, Joint Specialized Undergraduate Pilot Training, Vance AFB, OK.
2. Oct 2001 – Nov 2001, Student, Introduction to Fighter Fundamentals, Randolph AFB, TX.
3. Jan 2002 – Aug 2002, Student, F-15C Basic Course, 1 FS, Tyndall AFB, FL.
4. Sept 2002 – Oct 2004, F-15C Instructor Pilot/Mission Commander, 94 FS, Langley AFB, VA.
5. Nov 2004 – Feb 2006, F-22 Instructor Pilot/Mission Commander, 27 FS, Langley AFB, VA.
6. Mar 2006 – Jun 2007, F-22 Chief of Wing Weapons and Tactics, 1 OSS, Langley AFB, VA.
7. Jul 2007 – Oct 2009, Flight Commander, 90 FS, Elmendorf AFB, AK.
8. Nov 2009 – Jun 2011, Aide de Camp to the Commander, Air Combat Command, Langley AFB, VA.
9. Jul 2011 – Sept 2012, Student, Naval Command and Staff College and Maritime Advanced Warfighting School, U.S. Naval War College, Newport, RI.
10. Oct 2012 – Jun 2013, Director of Operations, 325th Operations Group Detachment 1, Tyndall AFB, FL.
11. Jul 2013 – Jun 2014, Director of Operations, 43rd Fighter Squadron, Tyndall AFB, FL.
12. Jul 2014 – Jun 2016, Commander, 43rd Fighter Squadron, Tyndall AFB, FL.
13. Jul 2016 – Jun 2017, Student, National War College, National Defense University, Ft McNair, Washington D.C.
14. Jun 2017 – Jun 2019, Senior Air Force Advisor, Cost Assessment and Program Evaluation, Office of the Secretary of Defense, Pentagon, VA.
15. Jul 2019 – Jul 2021, Commander, 53d Test and Evaluation Group, Nellis AFB, NV.
16. Jul 2021 – Current, Commander, 1st Fighter Wing, Langley AFB, VA.
SUMMARY OF JOINT ASSIGNMENTS
Jun 2017 – Jun 2019, Senior Air Force Advisor, Cost Assessment and Program Evaluation, Office of the Secretary of Defense, Pentagon, VA.
FLIGHT INFORMATION
Rating: Command Pilot
Total Flight Hours: More than 1,800
Aircraft Flown: T-37, T-38, HH-60, HC-130J, F-15C/D, F-16, and F-22
MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
Defense Superior Service Medal
Legion of Merit
Meritorious Service Medal with two oak leaf clusters
Air Force Commendation Medal with one oak leaf cluster
Air Force Achievement Medal
Combat Readiness Medal with two oak leaf clusters
OTHER ACHIEVEMENTS
Distinguished Graduate, Top Graduate, Top Gun, Introduction to Fighter Fundamentals
Distinguished Graduate, Top Graduate, Top Gun, and Gabreski Award Winner, F-15C Basic Course
F-22 Initial Operational Cadre; stand-up/IOC of first 3 operational F-22 squadrons
Developed/Authored initial F-22-4th Gen Composite Force Counter-Air Tactics & Standards
Developed/Restructured AF F-22 Basic Qualification Training & Production
National War College Top Paper, “Fundamentals of National Security Strategy”
Authored 2018 OSD Fighter Force Mix Study
Led OSD Analysis of Alternatives Study for NGAD & Joint TACAIR Synthetic Training
Drove creation of Black Flag
EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION
Second Lieutenant 7 Apr 2000
First Lieutenant 7 Apr 2002
Captain 7 Apr 2004
Major 1 Nov 2009
Lieutenant Colonel 1 Dec 2013
Colonel 1 May 2018
(CURRENT AS OF JULY 2021)