Colonel Christopher S. Sage is the Commander, 4th Fighter Wing, Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, Goldsboro, N.C. As the commander, he is responsible for the organization, training and deployment of one of the largest fighter wings in the United States Air Force, consisting of nearly 6,000 Airmen and civilians. The 4th Fighter Wing is home to 94 F-15E Strike Eagle aircraft assigned to two operational and two training fighter squadrons, flying more than 12,000 sorties and 21,000 hours per year. The 4th FW partners with and provides overall host support for the 916th Air Refueling Wing and its 16 KC-135Rs. Colonel Sage is originally from Newport News, Virginia and entered the Air Force in June 1994 after graduating from the United States Air Force Academy with a Bachelor of Science degree in Social Science. He is a Distinguished Graduate from Squadron Officer School and earned a Masters degree in Business Administration from Colorado State University in 2001.
Colonel Sage’s assignments are a mix of operational, training and staff tours with both the Navy and the Air Force, culminating in over 4,200 flight hours. As an operational F-15E fighter pilot, he has over 1,100 combat hours and has participated in Operations NORTHERN WATCH, DELIBERATE FORGE, ALLIED FORCE, ENDURING FREEDOM and IRAQI FREEDOM. He also served as a Naval Flight Instructor while stationed aboard NAS Whiting Field.
Colonel Sage is a Distinguished Graduate from the College of Naval Command and Staff at the Naval War College. He also graduated from the Maritime Advanced Warfighting School, the Navy’s Advanced Studies Group. In addition, he was a National Defense Fellow at Harvard University. Colonel Sage’s staff tours include serving as the Assistant Executive Officer to the Chief of Staff of the Air Force and the Senior Military Assistant to the Deputy Chairman of the NATO Military Committee at NATO Headquarters in Brussels, Belgium.
EDUCATION
1994 Bachelor of Science Degree, Social Science, United States Air Force Academy, Colorado Springs, Colo.
2000 Masters of Business Administration, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colo.
2001 Squadron Officer School, in residence (distinguished graduate)
2005 Air Command and Staff College, by correspondence
2008 Masters of Art, National Security and Strategic Studies, College of Naval Command and Staff College,
Naval War College, Newport, R.I. (distinguished graduate)
2008 Maritime Advanced Warfighting School (SAASS Equivalent), Naval War College, Newport, R.I.
2010 Air War College, by correspondence
2012 Joint and Combined Warfighting School, Joint Forces Staff College, Norfolk, Va.
2012 USAF Leadership Enhancement Program, Center for Creative Leadership, Greensboro, N.C.
2014 National Defense Fellow, Harvard University, Weatherhead Center for International Affairs, Cambridge, Mass.
ASSIGNMENTS
1. December 1994 – December 1995, student, Joint Undergraduate Pilot Training, Reese AFB, Texas
2. May 1996 – December 1996, F-15E student pilot, 334th Fighter Squadron, Seymour Johnson AFB, N.C.
3. January 1996 – March 2000, F-15E Instructor Pilot, Chief of Mission Planning, 492d Fighter Squadron, RAF
Lakenheath, UK
4. April 2000 – December 2003, T-34C Naval Flight Instructor, Flight Commander and Chief, Standardization/Evaluation
and Training, VT-3, NAS Whiting Field, Fla.
5. April 2004 – July 2007, F-15E Evaluator Pilot, Chief of Scheduling, Assistant Director of Operations, 336th Fighter
Squadron; Chief, Wing Exercises and Inspections, 4th Fighter Wing, Seymour Johnson AFB, N.C.
6. January 2005 – July 2007, Presidential Advance Agent, CVAM, Pentagon, Washington, D.C.
7. August 2007 – September 2008, student, College of Naval Command and Staff; and Maritime Advanced Warfighting
School (SAASS equivalent), Naval War College, Newport, R.I.
8. August 2008 – January 2009, Chief, Joint Studies and Analysis Branch, Strategy and Integration Division, A8XS,
Pentagon, Washington, D.C.
9. February 2009 – March 2010, Assistant Executive Officer to the Chief of Staff of the Air Force, Headquarters U.S. Air
Force, Pentagon, Washington, D.C.
10. June 2010 – January 2011, Director of Operations, 389th Fighter Squadron, Mountain Home AFB, Idaho
11. January 2011 – March 2012, Commander, 389th Fighter Squadron, Mountain Home AFB, Idaho
12. March 2012 – June 2013, Commander, 366th Operations Group, Mountain Home AFB, Idaho
13. July 2013 – July 2014, National Defense Fellow, Weatherhead Center for International Affairs, Harvard University,
Cambridge, Mass.
14. July 2014 – June 2016, Senior Military Assistant to the Deputy Chairman of the NATO Military Committee, NATO
Headquarters, Brussels, Belgium
FLIGHT INFORMATION
Rating: Command Pilot
Flight Hours: More than 4,200
Combat Hours: 1,116
Aircraft Flown: T-37, T-38, AT-38, T-34C and F-15E
MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
Defense Superior Service Medal
Legion of Merit
Meritorious Service Medal with three oak leaf clusters
Air Medal with twelve oak leaf clusters
Aerial Achievement Medal with one oak leaf cluster
Air Force Commendation Medal
Naval and Marine Corps Commendation Medal
Air Force Achievement Medal with two oak leaf clusters
Air Force Combat Action Medal
Presidential Unit Citation
Combat Readiness Medal with one oak leaf cluster
National Defense Service Medal with service star
Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal with three service stars
Kosovo Campaign Medal with one service star
Afghanistan Campaign Medal with two service stars
Iraq Campaign Medal with three service stars
Global War on Terror Expeditionary Medal
Global War on Terror Service Medal
Armed Forces Service Medal
NATO Medal with service star
EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION
Second Lieutenant 1 June 1994
First Lieutenant 1 June 1996
Captain 1 June 1998
Major 1 September 2004
Lieutenant Colonel 1 June 2008
Colonel 19 March 2012
(Current as of 29 Aug 2016)