Colonel TYLER MORTON Colonel Tyler Morton is the Deputy Commander, 480th Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Wing, Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Va. He assists in directing the worldwide intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance operations of six ISR groups, supporting Combatant Commanders, Combined Forces Air Component Commanders, Numbered Air Force commanders and coalition forces. The Wing is a total force enterprise composed of more than 6,000 military, civilian and contractor personnel. Colonel Morton enlisted in the United States Air Force in 1991 and after Basic Military Training, attended the Defense Language Institute in Monterey, California. Following language and technical training, he reported to the 97th Intelligence Squadron (IS) at Offutt AFB, Nebraska, where he served as an Airborne Spanish Cryptologic Linguist. In 1996, he left active duty to attend ROTC at the University of Nebraska-Omaha. In May 1998, he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Spanish and was commissioned. Following intelligence officer training, he served in various positions at Maxwell AFB, Alabama; RAF Molesworth, United Kingdom; HQs NORAD-USNORTHCOM, Peterson AFB; the 97th Intelligence Squadron at Offutt AFB, Nebraska; the Air Staff; and as the Commander of the 488th IS at RAF Mildenhall, United Kingdom. His most recent assignment was as the Deputy Chief of the Commander’s Action Group (CAG) at US Southern Command (USSOUTHCOM), in Miami, Florida. He is a senior non-rated officer aircrew member with more than 2,500 hours on all three variants of the RC-135, the MC-12W, and the E-3. Prior to assuming his current position, he was a National Defense Fellow at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in Washington, D.C. EDUCATION 1992 Basic Spanish Language Course, Defense Language Institute, Monterey, Calif. 1995 Intermediate Spanish Language Course, Defense Language Institute, Monterey, Calif. 1998 Bachelor of Arts in Spanish with honors, University of Nebraska at Omaha, Omaha, Neb. 2000 Master of Science in Human Resource Management, Troy University at Montgomery, Montgomery, Ala. 2003 Squadron Officer School, (In-Residence) 2011 Master of Military Operational Art and Science, Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell AFB, Ala. 2011 Air Command and Staff School, (In-Residence) 2012 Master of Philosophy in Military Strategy, School of Advanced Air and Space Studies, Maxwell AFB, Ala. 2012 School of Advanced Air and Space Studies (SAASS) 2013 Air War College, by correspondence 2016 Doctorate of Philosophy in Military Strategy, Air University, Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala. 2017 Joint Professional Military Education II, Joint and Combined Warfighting School ASSIGNMENTS 1. December 1991–January 1992, Basic Military Training, Lackland Air Force Base, Texas 2. January 1992–August 1992, Spanish student, Defense Language Institute, Monterey, Calif. 3. August 1992–February 1993, Cryptologic Linguist Trainee, Goodfellow AFB, Texas 4. February 1993–August 1996, Airborne Spanish Cryptologic Linguist, 97 IS, Offutt AFB, Neb. 5. August 1996–May 1998, ROTC Student, University of Nebraska-Omaha, Omaha, Neb. 6. May 1998–October 1998, Student, Intelligence Officer School, Goodfellow AFB, Texas 7. October 1998–October 2000, Chief of Wing Plans and Chief of Base Exercise Evaluation Team, 42nd Air Base Wing, Maxwell AFB, Ala. 8. October 2000–October 2003, Commander, 488 IS Operating Location-RAF Molesworth and Chief of Signals Intelligence Collection Management, Joint Analysis Center, RAF Molesworth, United Kingdom 9. October 2003–October 2006, Chief, Combatant Commander Briefing Team; Executive Officer to the Director of Intelligence; and Western Hemisphere Analyst, HQs NORAD-USNORTHCOM, Peterson AFB, Colo. 10. October 2006–November 2007, Director of Intelligence, Joint Interrogation and Debriefing Center, Camp Cropper, Iraq 11. November 2007–February 2008, Counterterrorism Analyst, Combined Intelligence and Fusion Center, NORAD-USNORTHCOM, Peterson AFB, Colo. 12. February 2008–October 2008, Assistant Director of Operations and RC-135 Information Integration Officer, 97 IS, Offutt AFB, Neb. 13. October 2008–July 2010, Commander, 97 IS Detachment 1, Offutt AFB, Neb. 14. July 2010–June 2011, Student, Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell AFB, Ala. 15. June 2011–June 2012, Student, School of Advanced Air and Space Studies, Maxwell AFB, Ala. 16. July 2012–July 2014, Chief, Air Force ISR Strategy, Headquarters Air Force, A2, Pentagon, Washington, D.C. 17. July 2014–July 2016, Commander, 488 IS, RAF Mildenhall, United Kingdom 18. July 2016–July 2019, Deputy CAG Chief and Air Force Special Assistant to the Combatant Commander, USSOUTHCOM, Miami, Fla. 19. July 2019–June 2020, Fellow, Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, Washington, D.C. 20. June 2020 - present, Deputy Commander, 480th ISR Wing, Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Va. FLIGHT INFORMATION Rating: Senior Non-Rated Officer Aircrew Member, Information Integration Officer (IIO) Flight hours: More than 2,500 Aircraft flown: RC-135V/W, RC-135S, RC-135U, MC-12W, E-3A, E-3B MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS Bronze Star Defense Meritorious Service Medal with one oak leaf cluster Meritorious Service Medal with two oak leaf clusters Air Medal Aerial Achievement Medal with one oak leaf cluster Joint Service Commendation Medal with one oak leaf cluster Air Force Commendation Medal with one oak leaf cluster Joint Service Achievement Medal Air Force Achievement Medal Combat Readiness Medal with three oak leaf clusters Air Force Good Conduct Medal National Defense Service Medal with one bronze star Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal Southwest Asia Service Medal with one bronze star Iraq Campaign Medal with one bronze star Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal Global War on Terrorism Service Medal Armed Forces Service Medal Humanitarian Service Medal Nuclear Deterrence Operations Service Medal with one oak leaf cluster PUBLICATIONS From Kites to Cold War: The Evolution of Manned Airborne Reconnaissance, Naval Institute Press, 2019. “Linguists Get Their Wings: Airborne Voice Intercept Operators in World War 2,” Air Power History, Fall 2019. “U.S. Southern Command: Evolving to Meet 21st-Century Challenges” Joint Forces Quarterly, 3rd Quarter, 2017. “Manned Airborne ISR: Strategic, Tactical…Both?” Air and Space Power Journal, November-December 2012. EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION Second Lieutenant May 9, 1998 First Lieutenant June 2, 2000 Captain June 2, 2002 Major January 1, 2008 Lieutenant Colonel May 1, 2013 Colonel August 1, 2019 (Current as of June 2020)