Colonel Robert B. Olvis is the Deputy Commander of the 48th Fighter Wing at Royal Air Force Lakenheath, England, the only wing in the Air Force with an official name, the “Statue of Liberty Wing.” The Liberty Wing consists of 5,000 active duty personnel, 2,000 British and U.S. civilians, and includes a geographically-separated unit at nearby RAF Feltwell. The wing employs four combat-ready squadrons of F-15E Strike Eagle and F-35A Lightning Bolt II fighter aircraft.
Colonel Olvis was commissioned in 2001 as a distinguished graduate of the University of Central Florida Reserve Officer Training Corps and earned his pilot wings at Vance AFB, Oklahoma. He has served in a variety of positions to include, USAF Weapons School F-15E Weapons Instructor Course Instructor Pilot, Aide-de-Camp Commander International Security Assistance Forces Afghanistan, Director of Operations and Commander 391st Fighter Squadron, Mountain Home AFB, ID and served on the Joint Chiefs of Staff as an Operation Officer in the J35 Deputy Directorate for Regional Operations. Prior to this assignment Colonel Olvis served as the Air Forces Central Command Director of Operations at Al Udeid AB, Qatar.
Colonel Olvis is a command pilot with more than 2,900 flying hours. He has flown over 950 combat hours in support of Operations IRAQI FREEDOM, ENDURING FREEDOM, and INHERENT RESOLVE.
EDUCATION
2001 Bachelor of Science in Liberal Studies, University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL
2001 Aerospace Basic School, Maxwell AFB, AL
2009 Squadron Officer School, Maxwell AFB, AL
2010 USAF Weapons School, Nellis AFB, NV
2012 Master of Business Administration and Management, Trident University, Cypress, CA
2020 Masters of Art, National Resource Strategy, Dwight D. Eisenhower School for National Security and Resource Strategy, Ft McNair, Washington, D.C.
ASSIGNMENTS
1. July 2002 – August 2003, Student, Undergraduate Pilot Training, Vance AFB, OK
2. November 2003 – August 2004, Student, F-15E Formal Training, Seymour Johnson AFB, NC
3. August 2004 – March 2007, F-15E Flight Lead, 336th Fighter Squadron, Seymour Johnson AFB, NC
4. March 2007 – December 2009, F-15E Evaluation Pilot, 494th Fighter Squadron, RAF Lakenheath, UK
5. February 2010 – March 2012, Chief of Squadron Weapons and Tactics, 391st Fighter Squadron, Mountain Home AFB, ID
6. March 2012 – July 2015, Instructor Pilot, F-15E Instructor Weapons Instructor Course USAF Weapons School, Director of Operations, 561st Joint Tactics Squadron, Nellis AFB, NV; Aide-de-Camp, Commander International Security Assistance Forces, Kabul, Afghanistan
7. July 2015 – July 2016, Chief Wing Weapons and Tactics, 366th Operational Support Squadron, Mountain Home AFB, ID
8. July 2016 – May 2017, Director of Operations, 391st Fighter Squadron, Mountain Home AFB, ID
9. May 2017 – May 2019, Commander, 391st Fighter Squadron, Mountain Home AFB, ID
10. August 2019 – June 2020, Student, Dwight D. Eisenhower School for National Security and Resource Strategy, Ft. McNair, Washington, D.C.
11. June 2020 – June 2022, Operations Officer, Joint Chiefs of Staff J35, Global Force Management and Joint Operations Division – North America, Pentagon, Washington, D.C.
12. June 2022 – June 2023, Director of Operations, USAFCENT/A3, Al Udeid AB, Doha, Qatar
13. July 2023 – Present, Deputy Commander, 48th Fighter Wing, RAF Lakenheath, UK
SUMMARY OF JOINT ASSIGNMENTS
1. June 2020 – June 2022, Operations Officer, Joint Chiefs of Staff J35, Global Force Management and Joint Operations Division – North America, Pentagon, Washington, D.C. as a Lieutenant Colonel
2. June 2022 – June 2023, Director of Operations, USAFCENT/A3, Al Udeid AB, Doha, Qatar as a Colonel
FLIGHT INFORMATION
Rating: Command Pilot
Flight hours: Over 2,900
Combat Hours: 950+
Aircraft flown: T-37, T-38, F-15E
MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
Defense Meritorious Service Medal with two oak leaf cluster
Meritorious Service Medal with three oak leaf clusters
Air Medal with seven oak leaf clusters
Aerial Achievement Medal
Air Force Commendation Medal with two oak leaf cluster
Joint Service Achievement Medal
Air Force Achievement Medal with one oak leaf cluster
EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION
Second Lieutenant December 30, 2001
First Lieutenant December 30, 2003
Captain December 30, 2005
Major December 1, 2011
Lieutenant Colonel November 1, 2016
Colonel June 1, 2022
(Current as of May 2023)