Col. Ronald Sloma, Commander of the 419th Fighter Wing, Hill Air Force Base, Utah, is responsible for providing combat-ready forces comprised of approximately 1,300 Reserve, active duty, and civilian Airmen to support national objectives.
Col. Sloma received his commission in 1998 from the United States Air Force Academy. He completed undergraduate pilot training at Columbus Air Force Base, MS., in October 1999 and served on active duty for 10 years before transitioning to the Air Force Reserve in 2008. Col. Sloma is a command pilot with over 3,000 hours and has served as an F-16 and F-35 instructor and flight evaluation pilot. He has commanded at the squadron and group levels with leadership experience in both operations and agile combat support (ACS) organizations. Prior to his current position, the Colonel was the Director, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Operations, Directorate of Air, Space and Cyberspace, Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Fort Worth, Texas.
EDUCATION
1998 Bachelor of Science Degree in Management, United States Air Force Academy, Colo.
1998 Aerospace Basic Course, Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala.
2005 Squadron Officer School, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
2012 Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell AFB, Ala., by correspondence
2015 Masters of Business Administration, Arizona State University, Tempe.
2017 Lean Six Sigma Master Black Belt, Arizona State University, Tempe.
2019 Air War College, Maxwell AFB, Ala., by correspondence
ASSIGNMENTS
1. September 1998 – October 1999, Student, undergraduate pilot training, Columbus Air Force Base, Miss.
2. November 1999 – January 2000, Student, AT-38 fighter lead-in training, 49th Training Squadron, Columbus Air Force Base, Miss.
3. March 2000 – October 2000, Student, F-16 Replacement Training Unit, 308th Fighter Squadron, Luke Air Force Base, Ariz.
4. November 2000 – December 2000, Student, F-16 Medium Altitude Navigation and Targeting Infared for Night training, 310th Fighter Squadron, Luke Air Force Base, AZ.
5. January 2001 – May 2003, F-16 Instructor pilot and Mission Commander, 421st Fighter Squadron, Hill Air Force Base, Utah.
6. June 2003 – June 2004, F-16 Flight Commander and Instructor pilot, 35th Fighter Squadron, Kunsan Air Base, Republic of Korea
7. July 2004 – September 2005, F-16 Night Vision Google/Medium Altitude Navigation and Targeting Infared for Night training Instructor pilot, 310th Fighter Squadron, Luke Air Force Base, Ariz.
8. October 2005 – August 2008, Flight Commander/Weapons officer and F-16 Instructor pilot, 21st Fighter Squadron, Luke Air Force Base, Ariz.
9. September 2008 – January 2010, Assist. Director of Operations and F-16 Instructor pilot, 301st Fighter Squadron, Luke AFB, Ariz.
10. February 2010 –November 2014, Assistant Director of Operations and F-16 Flight Examiner, 69th Fighter Squadron, Luke AFB, Ariz.
11. December 2014 – June 2016, Director of Operations, 21st Fighter Squadron, Assist. Director of Operations 69th Fighter Squadron and F-16 Flight Examiner, Luke AFB, Ariz.
12. July 2016 – January 2020, 56th Figher Wing Director of Operational Excellence and F-35 Flight Examiner, Detachment 2 944th Operations Group, Luke AFB, Ariz.
13. February – September 2021, Commander, 944th Logistics Readiness Squadron and F-35 Flight Examiner, Luke AFB, Ariz.
14. October – December 2021, Deputy Commander, 944th Operations Group and F-35 Flight Examiner, Luke AFB, Ariz.
15. January – June 2022, Interim Commander, 944th Mission Support Group and F-35 Flight Examiner, Luke AFB, Ariz.
16. August 2022 – March 2023, Chief, Aircrew Standardization/Evaluation & F-35 Flight Examiner
17. April 2023 – July 2023, Director, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Operations, Directorate of Air, Space and Cyberspace & F-35 Flight Examiner
18. September 2023 – Present, Commander, 419th Fighter Wing, Hill AFB, Utah
FLIGHT INFORMATION
Rating: command pilot
Flight hours: more than 3000
F-35 Hours: more than 400
F-16 Hours: more than 2400
Aircraft flown: T-3A, T-37, T-38A, AT-38B, F-16 A/B/C/D, AF-1, F-35A
MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
Meritorious Service Medal with four oak leaf clusters
Air and Space Commendation Medal with one oak leaf cluster
Air and Space Outstanding Unit Award with six oak leaf clusters
Air Space Organizational Excellence Award with one oak leaf cluster
National Defense Service Medal
Global War on Terrorism Service Medal
Korean Defense Service Medal
Air Space Overseas Ribbon Short with device
Air and Space Longevity Service with six oak leaf clusters
Armed Forces Reserve Medal with device
Air and Space Training Ribbon
EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION
Second Lieutenant May 28, 1998
First Lieutenant May 27, 2000
Captain May 27, 2002
Major Dec. 1, 2007
Lieutenant Colonel Dec. 1, 2014
Colonel June 1, 2021
(Current as of September 2023)