COLONEL KURT R. DAVIS
Col. Kurt R. Davis is the Commander, 151st Air Refueling Wing, Roland R. Wright Air National Guard Base, Salt Lake City, Utah. The 151st Air Refueling Wing operates 10 KC-135R aircraft performing aerial refueling, airlift, and aeromedical evacuation missions supporting U.S. and coalition contingency operations and the U.S. Strategic Command deterrence mission.
Col. Davis began his career as an enlisted member of the Utah Air National Guard in 1989 as a KC-135E crew chief. He was the 7000th officer commissioned through the Air National Guard’s Academy of Military Science, McGhee Tyson Air National Guard Base, Tennessee in 1991. He graduated in 1992 from Specialized Undergraduate Navigator Training, Mather AFB, California and was a distinguished graduate of the KC-135 Initial Navigator Training Course, Combat Crew Training School, Castle Air Force Base, California.
Col. Davis has served in a variety of operational and staff positions at the headquarters, wing, squadron and flight levels including instructor/evaluator navigator, Single Integrated Operational Plan planner, current operations planner, chief of scheduling and current operations, community manager, wing executive officer, public affairs officer, state partnership program coordinator (with the country of Morocco), deputy director of human resources, director of human resources and vice wing commander. Col. Davis is a veteran of several military operations including: Uphold Democracy, Decisive Endeavor, Deliberate Guard, Deliberate Forge, Allied Force, Joint Guardian, Northern Watch, Noble Eagle, Joint Forge, Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom. Prior to his current position, Col. Davis served as the Director of Staff – Air (DS-Air), Joint Force Headquarters, Utah National Guard, Salt Lake City, Utah.
EDUCATION
1990 Associate of Science, Accounting, Utah Valley Community College, Orem, Utah
1991 Associate of Applied Science, Aircraft Systems Maintenance Technology, Community College of the Air Force, Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala.
1993 Bachelor of Science, Management, Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah
1999 Squadron Officer School, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
2003 Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
2006 Air War College, Maxwell AFB, Ala
2013 Master of Science, Organizational Leadership, Argosy University, Salt Lake City, Utah
ASSIGNMENTS
1. August 1991–June 1992, Student Navigator, Specialized Undergraduate Navigator Training, Mather Air Force Base, California
2. June 1992–October 1992, KC-135A Navigator, Combat Crew Training School, Castle AFB, Calif.
3. October 1992–May 1996, KC-135E Navigator, 191st Air Refueling Squadron, Roland R. Wright Air National Guard Base, Salt Lake City, Utah.
4. May 1996–October 1996, KC-135E Training Navigator, 151st Operations Support Flight, Roland R. Wright ANGB, Salt Lake City, Utah
5. October 1996–November 2000, SIOP planner, 151st Air Refueling Wing, Roland R. Wright ANGB, Salt Lake City, Utah
6. November 2000–January 2004, Current Operations Planner & Navigator Scheduler, 151st Operations Support Flight, Roland R. Wright ANGB, Salt Lake City, Utah
7. January 2004–March 2004, Chief of Scheduling and Current Operations, 151st Operations Support Flight, Roland R. Wright ANGB, Salt Lake City, Utah
8. March 2004–October 2006, Community Manager & Wing Executive Officer, 151st ARW, Roland R. Wright ANGB,
Salt Lake City, Utah
9. February 2005–September 2007, KC-135E/R Instructor & Evaluator navigator, 191st ARS, Roland R. Wright
ANGB, Salt Lake City, Utah
10. October 2006–November 2007, State Partnership Program Coordinator & Deputy Public Affairs Officer, Joint
Force Headquarters, Utah National Guard, Draper, Utah
11. November 2007–July 2011, Director of Staff - Air, JFHQ, Utah National Guard, Draper, Utah
12. July 2011–October 2012, Deputy Director of Human Resources, JFHQ, Utah National Guard, Draper, Utah
13. October 2012–April 2015, Director of Human Resources, JFHQ, Utah National Guard, Draper, Utah
14. April 2015–June 2016, Vice Commander, 151st ARW, Roland R. Wright ANGB, Salt Lake City, Utah
15. June 2016–October 2018, Director of Staff – Air, JFHQ, Roland R. Wright ANGB, Salt Lake City, Utah
16. October 2018–present, Commander, 151st ARW, Roland R. Wright ANGB, Salt Lake City, Utah
FLIGHT INFORMATION
Rating: master navigator
Flight Hours: more than 2,150
Aircraft: T-43A, KC-135A, KC-135E, KC-135R
MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
Meritorious Service Medal with two oak leaf clusters
Aerial Achievement Medal
Air Force Commendation Medal with one oak leaf cluster
Air Force Achievement Medal with one oak leaf cluster
Combat Readiness Medal with two oak leaf clusters
Kosovo Campaign Medal
Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal
Humanitarian Service Medal
Nuclear Deterrence Operations Service Medal
NATO Medal
EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION
Second Lieutenant August 8, 1991
First Lieutenant August 14, 1993
Captain August 27, 1995
Major September 12, 1999
Lieutenant Colonel March 14, 2004
Colonel June 19, 2009
(Current as of October 2020)