Col Kellen D. Sick is the Commander of the 4th Operations Group, 4th Fighter Wing, Seymour Johnson Air Force Base (AFB), Goldsboro, NC. In this role, he commands six squadrons and is responsible for organizing, training, equipping, and deploying 94 F-15 aircraft and nearly 1900 officer, enlisted, and civilian personnel in support of combat operations worldwide. Col Sick also manages the production of over 96 new F-15 Pilots and Weapon Systems Officers per year in Air Combat Command’s largest Formal Training Unit.
Col Sick is a 2006 Distinguished Graduate of the Detachment 060 AFROTC program and the Valedictorian of the Viterbi School of Engineering at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, CA. After commissioning, Col Sick served as Executive Officer at Beale Air Force Base (AFB), CA until attending pilot training in 2007 at Vance AFB, OK. Winged in 2008, he completed the F-15 Basic Qualification Course in 2009. As an F-15 Instructor Pilot, he has completed flying assignments in the 336th and 333d Fighter Squadrons at Seymour Johnson AFB, N.C. As an F-15 Weapons School Evaluator Pilot, he has completed multiple flying assignments in the 17th Weapons Squadron at Nellis AFB, NV, building the U.S. Air Force’s premier tacticians while leading an elite cadre of Weapons School Instructors as Commander. Col Sick has been a U.S. Air Force Fellow to DARPA, an Air University Lorenz Fellow, and holds a Doctor of Philosophy in Military Strategy. He is a Command Pilot with more than 2,100 flying hours in the F-15, including 805 combat hours during missions over Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, and Yemen as part of Operations ENDURING FREEDOM, INHERENT RESOLVE, and FREEDOM’S SENTINEL. Additionally, he has flown stateside Operation NOBLE EAGLE missions. Prior to his current position, Col Sick was the Chief, Counter-Unmanned Aircraft Systems Division, Joint Operations Directorate, North American Aerospace Defense Command and United States Northern Command at Peterson Space Force Base, CO.
EDUCATION
2006 Bachelor of Science, Aerospace Engineering, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA
2006 Air and Space Basic Course, in-residence, Maxwell AFB, AL 2013 Squadron Officer School, in-residence, Maxwell AFB, AL
2013 Master of Science, Administration & Leadership, Central Michigan University, Mount Pleasant, MI
2014 F-15E Weapons Instructor Course (WIC), U.S. Air Force Weapons School, Nellis AFB, NV
2017 Air Command and Staff College, non-residence, Maxwell AFB, AL
2018 USAF Fellow, Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, Arlington, VA
2019 Master of Philosophy, Military Strategy, School of Advanced Air and Space Studies, Maxwell AFB, AL
2024 Air University Lorenz Fellow, Las Vegas, NV
2025 Joint and Combined Warfighting School (JPME-II), National Defense University, in-residence, Norfolk NAS, VA
2025 Doctor of Philosophy in Military Strategy, Air University, Maxwell AFB, AL
ASSIGNMENTS
1. June 2006 – April 2007, Executive Officer, 9th Operations Group, Beale AFB, CA
2. May 2007 – June 2008, Student, Joint Specialized Undergraduate Pilot Training, 8th and 25th Flying Training Squadrons, then July 2008 – February 2009, Student, Introduction to Fighter Fundamentals, 3d Fighter Training Squadron, Vance AFB, OK
3. February 2009 – December 2009, Student, F-15E Basic Qualification Course, 334th Fighter Squadron, then December 2009 – February 2010, Student, F-15E Mission Qualification Course, then March 2010 – April 2011, Mobility Officer and F-15E Pilot, then May 2011 – August 2012, Chief of Mission Planning & F-15E Four-Ship Flight Lead, 336th Fighter Squadron, then August 2012 – January 2013, F-15E Instructor Course Pilot, then January 2013 – February 2014, Chief of Weapons and Tactics and F- 15E Instructor Pilot, 333d Fighter Squadron, Seymour Johnson AFB, NC (March 2010 – April 2010 and October 2011 – November 2011, Exercise IRON FALCON, 336th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron, Southwest Asia; August 2010 – March 2011, Operation ENDURING FREEDOM, 336th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron, Bagram AB, Afghanistan)
4. February 2014 – June 2014, Student, F-15E Weapons Instructor Course, 17th Weapons Squadron, Nellis AFB, NV
5. June 2014 – October 2014, Chief of Weapons and Tactics and F-15E Instructor Pilot, then October 2014 – June 2015, Weapons Flight Commander and F-15E Instructor Pilot, 336th Fighter Squadron, Seymour Johnson AFB, NC (October 2014 – April 2015, Operations INHERENT RESOLVE, ENDURING FREEDOM, and FREEDOM’s SENTINEL, 336th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron, Southwest Asia)
6. June 2015 – June 2016, Flight Commander and F-15E Weapons Instructor Course Instructor Pilot, 17th Weapons Squadron, then June 2016 – June 2017, Chief of Wing Weapons and Tactics and F-15E Weapons Instructor Course Instructor Pilot, 57th Operations Support Squadron, Nellis AFB, NV
7. June 2017 – July 2018, USAF Fellow, Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), Arlington, VA (Intermediate Developmental Education)
8. July 2018 – June 2019, Student, School of Advanced Air and Space Studies (SAASS), Maxwell AFB, AL (Advanced Studies Group)
9. June 2019 – December 2019, Assistant Director of Operations, then December 2019–December 2020, Director of Operations, then December 2020 -- June 2023, Commander, 17th Weapons Squadron, Nellis AFB, NV
10. June 2023 – June 2024, Air University Lorenz Fellow, Las Vegas, NV (Senior Developmental Education and Air University PhD Candidate)
11. June 2024 – July 2025, Joint Force Development Strategist (J-7), Joint Staff, the Pentagon, Arlington, VA
12. July 2025 – June 2026, Division Chief, Counter-Unmanned Aircraft Systems (J-3), NORAD-USNORTHCOM, Peterson SFB, CO
13. July 2026 – Present, Commander, 4th Operations Group, Seymour Johnson AFB, NC
SUMMARY OF JOINT ASSIGNMENTS
1. June 2024 – July 2025, Joint Force Development Strategist (J-7), Joint Staff, the Pentagon, Arlington, VA, as a Lieutenant Colonel
2. July 2025 – June 2026, Division Chief, Counter-Unmanned Aircraft Systems (J-3), NORAD-USNORTHCOM, Peterson SFB, CO, as a Colonel
FLIGHT INFORMATION
Rating: Command Pilot
Flight hours: More than 2,500, including 2,100 hours in the F-15 with 805 combat hours
Aircraft: flown: T-6A, T-38C, F-15D, F-15E, F-15EX
MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
Defense Superior Service Medal
Defense Meritorious Service Medal Meritorious Service Medal with oak leaf cluster
Air Medal with six oak leaf clusters Joint Service Commendation Medal
Air and Space Commendation Medal with two oak leaf clusters Air and Space Achievement Medal
Air and Space Recognition Ribbon
OTHER ACHIEVEMENTS
2006 Valedictorian, Viterbi School of Engineering, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA.
2006 Distinguished Graduate, AFROTC Detachment 060, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA.
2006 Exceptional Performer, Air and Space Basic Course, Maxwell AFB, AL
2008 JSUPT Class 08-11 Academic Excellence Award, 71st Operations Support Squadron, Vance AFB, OK.
2009 Steve “Gramps” Harris Academic Award, 334th Fighter Squadron, Seymour Johnson AFB, N.C.
2011 Pilot of the Year and Anthony C. Shine Award Nominee, 336th Fighter Squadron, Seymour Johnson AFB, N.C.
2013 Distinguished Graduate, F-15E Instructor Course, 333d Fighter Squadron, Seymour Johnson AFB, N.C.
2013 Distinguished Graduate & Flight Outstanding Contributor, Squadron Officer School, Maxwell AFB, AL.
2013 Outstanding Capstone Award Winner, Central Michigan University, Mount Pleasant, MI.
2013 Instructor Pilot of the Year, 333d Fighter Squadron, Seymour Johnson AFB, N.C.
2014 Outstanding Graduate, F-15E Weapons Instructor Course, 17th Weapons Squadron, Nellis AFB, NV.
2014 Daedalian Combat Pilot of the Year, 336th Fighter Squadron, Seymour Johnson AFB, N.C.
2014 George C. Kenney Award Nominee, 4th Fighter Wing, Seymour Johnson AFB, N.C.
2014 Robbie Risner Award Finalist, United States Air Force Weapons School, Nellis AFB, NV.
2014 Anthony C. Shine Award Nominee, Air Combat Command, Langley AFB, VA
2015 Lance P. Sijan Award Nominee, 4th Fighter Wing, Seymour Johnson AFB, N.C.
2015 Daedalian Exceptional Pilot, United States Air Force Warfare Center, Nellis AFB, NV.
2016 Field Grade Officer of the Year, 57th Operations Group, Nellis AFB, NV.
2017 Lance P. Sijan Award Nominee, 57th Wing, Nellis AFB, NV.
PUBLICATIONS
“Cognitive Warfare and Organizational Design: Leveraging AI to Reshape Military Decision-Making,” Joint Force Quarterly 119, 4th Quarter 2025
EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION
Second Lieutenant May 12, 2006
First Lieutenant May 31, 2008
Captain May 31, 2010
Major September 1, 2016
Lieutenant Colonel October 1, 2019
Colonel May 1, 2025
(Current as of July 2026)