Col. Stephen H. Bunting is the commander of the 192nd Fighter Wing, Virginia Air National Guard at Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Virginia. He is responsible for the readiness of more than 1,280 Airmen in the execution of federal and state missions across a full spectrum of operations.
Bunting earned his commission in 1994 when he graduated from the United States Air Force Academy with a Bachelor of Science in Engineering Mechanics. He attended pilot training at Columbus Air Force Base, Mississippi, and he completed F-16C replacement and the Medium Altitude Navigation and Targeting Infrared for Night (MANTIRN) course at Luke AFB, Arizona. He was later assigned to the 68th Fighter Squadron, Moody AFB, Georgia, where he was upgraded to Forward Air Controller - Airborne (FAC-A), and participated in numerous deployments including Operation Southern Watch and flying missions out of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Bahrain. In 1999, he was reassigned to the 36th Fighter Squadron, Osan AFB, Republic of Korea where he received his mission commander upgrade within the year and was awarded Flight Lead of the Year honors. In 2000, Bunting was reassigned to the 310th Fighter Squadron, Luke AFB, Arizona, as an F-16C FAC-A, MANTIRN, and Air Force Research Laboratory Night Vision Goggle Platform instructor.
In 2003, Bunting joined the Virginia Air National Guard 149th Fighter Squadron as a Drill Status Guardsman (DSG). He transitioned to DoD civilian life as the Command Control Communications and Intelligence Program Manager for the Counter-Narcotics Technology Program Office at the Naval Surface Warfare Center, Dahlgren Division. In 2006, he continued serving as a DSG F-16C instructor and Joint Warfare Analysis Center Research Engineer, and was selected to a fulltime position with the VaANG and for transition to the F-22 Raptor at the 149th Fighter Squadron. In December of 2012, Col. Bunting was selected as the 149th Fighter Squadron commander. In 2014, he was named 192nd Maintenance Group Commander where he commanded 410 maintenance personnel with notable total force achievements to include the first F-22 combat mission and first F-22 small diameter bomb combat delivery.
Col. Bunting is a graduate of Air War College and has accumulated over 2,300 hours in fighter aircraft. His military decorations include the Meritorious Service Medal with one oak leaf cluster, the Aerial Achievement Medal with one oak leaf cluster, the Air Force Commendation Medal with two oak leaf clusters, and the Air Force Outstanding Unit Award with four oak leaf clusters.
EDUCATION:
1994 Bachelor of Science, Engineering Mechanics, United States Air Force Academy, CO
2000 Squadron Officer School, Maxwell AFB, AL
2001 AF Safety Center Flight Safety Course, Southern California Safety Institute, Kirtland AFB, NM
2001 Master of Science Engineering, Engineering Management, University of Alabama
2004 Systems Planning Research Development and Engineering Level III, Defense Acquisitions University 2006 Air Command and Staff College
2013 ANG Commander Development Course, Andrews AFB, MD
2013 Air War College
2014 Maintenance Course for Operational Commanders, Sheppard AFB, TX
ASSIGNMENTS:
Jul 90 - Jun 94, Cadet, U.S. Air Force Academy, CO
Jun 94 - Jan 96, Undergraduate Pilot Training, Columbus AFB, MS
Jan 96 - Sep 96, Student Pilot, 63rd Fighter Squadron, Luke AFB, AZ
Sep 96 - May 99, F-16 Pilot, 68th Fighter Squadron, Moody AFB, GA
May 99 - Jun 00, F-16 Pilot, 36th Fighter Squadron, Osan AB, R.O.K
Jun 00 - Sept 03, F-16 Pilot, 310th Fighter Squadron, Luke AFB, AZ
Sept 03 - Jul 06, F-16 Pilot, 149th Fighter Squadron, Richmond IAP, VA
Jul 06 - Dec 12, F-22 Pilot, 149th Fighter Squadron, Joint Base Langley-Eustis, VA
Dec 12 - Mar 14, Commander, 149th Fighter Squadron, Joint Base Langley-Eustis, VA
Mar 14 - Mar 15, Commander, 192nd Maintenance Group, Joint Base Langley-Eustis, VA
Mar 15 - Present, Commander, 192nd Fighter Wing, Joint Base Langley-Eustis, VA
EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION:
Second Lieutenant 1 Jun, 1994
First Lieutenant 1 Jun, 1996
Captain 1 Jun, 1998
Major 15 Dec, 2003
Lieutenant Colonel 15 Mar, 2009
Colonel 1 July, 2014
(Current as of 5 May 2016)