Col. Jack R. Arthaud is the commander of the 48th Fighter Wing at Royal Air Force Lakenheath and RAF Feltwell, England, and the U.S. Country Representative to the United Kingdom (USCR-UK). As commander of the only wing in the Air Force with an official name, the “Statue of Liberty Wing,” he is responsible for nearly 7,000 active-duty personnel, British and U.S. civilians, and 11,000 family members. Employing four combat ready fighter squadrons of F-15E Strike Eagles and F-35A Lightning II, the Liberty Wing is the largest U.S. fighter operation in Europe. As the USCR-UK, Col. Arthaud is U.S. European Command’s senior non-diplomatic military representative in the UK and liaises directly with His Majesty’s Government on behalf of the 22,000 U.S. Forces (service members, dependents, and civilian employees) in the UK under the NATO Status of Forces Agreement.
Col. Arthaud graduated from Whitworth College with a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics and was commissioned through Officer Training School in 1999. He is a 2017 National Security Fellow, Harvard University, John F. Kennedy School of Government and a 2019 Seminar XXI graduate, Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Prior to his current position, Col. Arthaud was the Deputy Director of Operations, Strategic Deterrence, and Nuclear Integration at USAFE-AFAFRICA, where he guided an 898-person directorate staff and 603rd Air Operations Center providing air power capabilities in support of USEUCOM and USAFRICOM.
Col. Arthaud is a combat pilot with more than 2,200 flying hours in 19 aircraft. He has flown combat missions in Operation SOUTHERN WATCH, deployed for Operation ENDURING FREEDOM, and led Operation NOBLE EAGLE homeland defense missions.
EDUCATION
1999 Bachelor of Science, Mathematics, Whitworth College, Spokane, Wash.
2005 Squadron Officer School, Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala.
2009 Master of Military Operational Arts and Science, Air University Online Master’s Program
2012 Command and General Staff College, Fort Leavenworth, Kan.
2013 Master of Phil Military Strategy, School of Advanced Air and Space Studies, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
2017 National Security Fellow, Harvard University, John F. Kennedy School of Government
2019 Seminar XXI, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
2019 Enterprise Leadership, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, Kenan-Flagler Business School
ASSIGNMENTS
1. October 1999–May 2001, Student, Joint Specialized Undergraduate Pilot Training, Vance AFB, Okla.
2. June 2001–April 2002, Student, F-15C Pilot Training, Tyndall AFB, Fla.
3. May 2002–April 2005, 18 WG ECP, Assistant Chief of Weapons, Kadena Air Base, Japan
4. May 2005–June 2006, Flight Commander and F-15C Evaluator Pilot, Eglin AFB, Fla.
5. July 2006–December 2006, Student, USAF F-15C Weapons School, Nellis AFB, Nev.
6. December 2006–December 2007, Chief of Weapons and Tactics, Eglin AFB, Fla.
7. January 2008–June 2011, USAF Weapons School Instructor, Nellis AFB, Nev.
8. April 2009–November 2009, Chief of Training Analysis USFOR-A J-7, NKC, Kabul, Afghanistan
9. July 2011–June 2012, Student, Command and General Staff College, Fort Leavenworth, Kan.
10. July 2012–June 2013, Student, School of Advanced Air and Space Studies, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
11. September 2013–June 2014, Director of Operations, 67th Fighter Squadron, Kadena AB, Japan
12. June 2014–May 2016, Commander, 18th Operations Support Squadron, Kadena AB, Japan
13. July 2016–June 2017, National Security Fellow Harvard University, JFK School, Cambridge, Mass.
14. June 2017–June 2019, Senior Air Strategy Advisor to the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense, Strategy and Force Development, Pentagon, Washington D.C.
15. June 2019–June 2021, Commandant, United States Air Force Weapons School, Nellis AFB, Nev.
16. July 2021–June 2023, Commander, 33rd Fighter Wing, Eglin AFB, Fla.
17. July 2023–June 2024, Deputy Director of Operations, Strategic Deterrence and Nuclear Integration at USAFE-AFAFRICA, Ramstein AB, Germany
18. June 2024–present, Commander, 48th Fighter Wing, Royal Air Force Lakenheath, England
FLIGHT INFORMATION
Rating: command pilot
Flight Hours: more than 2,200
Aircraft Flown: F-15A/C/D, F-35A, T-37, T-38A, AT-38B, F-16D, E-3B, AC-130J, C-130J, HC-130J, HH-60G, MQ-9, U-28, CV-22, B-2, B-1, B-52, C-17, and KC-135
MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
Legion of Merit with oak leaf cluster
Defense Meritorious Service Medal
Meritorious Service Medal with two oak leaf clusters
Air Medal
Joint Service Commendation Medal
EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION
Second Lieutenant September 1999
First Lieutenant September 2001
Captain September 2003
Major July 2009
Lieutenant Colonel November 2012
Colonel May 2018 (Frocked)
(Current as of 21 Jun 2024)