Colonel Bill Creeden is the is the Deputy Commander, Fifteenth Air Force, Shaw Air Force Base, South Carolina. Fifteenth Air Force organizes, trains, and equips its subordinate commands to prepare for and execute expeditionary taskings. Additionally, Fifteenth Air Force advises, assists, advocates and assesses 13 wings and three direct reporting units in the U.S., ensuring the operational readiness of about 800 aircraft and more than 47,000 active duty and civilian members.
Col. Creeden is a command pilot with 1800 hours, mainly in the F-22 and F-15C. He has served in five different fighter squadrons, four fighter wings, and at both the MAJCOM and OSD level, as well as commanding at both the Fighter Squadron, Operations Group, and Fighter Wing level. He is a graduate of the Naval Command & Staff College and the Maritime Advanced Warfighting School, as well as the National War College. Prior to his current position, Col. Creeden was Deputy Director of Operations, Air Combat Command, Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Virginia.
EDUCATION
2000 Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Administration, George Macon University, Fairfax, Va.
2006 Squadron Officer School, Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala.
2010 Master's Degree in Military Arts and Sciences, Air University, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
2012 Master’s Degree in National Security and Strategic Studies (IDE), U.S. Naval War College, Newport, R.I.
2012 Advanced Studies Group, Maritime Advanced Warfighting School, Newport, R.I.
2017 Master’s Degree in National Security Strategy, National War College, Ft McNair, Washington D.C.
2018 U.S. Air Force Executive Program, Political-Economic Conflict Seminar, Alan L. Freed Associates, Washington, D.C.
2019 U.S. Air Force Executive Program, INDO-PACOM Theatre Strategy, Alan L. Freed Associates, Washington, D.C.
2023 Enterprise Leadership Seminar, Executive Development, University of North Carolina Kenan-Flager Business School, Chapel Hill, N.C.
ASSIGNMENTS
1. August 2000 – September 2001, Student, Joint Specialized Undergraduate Pilot Training, Vance AFB, Okla.
2. October 2001 – November 2001, Student, Introduction to Fighter Fundamentals, Randolph AFB, Texas
3. January 2002 – August 2002, Student, F-15C Basic Course, 1 Fighter Squadron, Tyndall AFB, Fla.
4. September 2002 – October 2004, F-15C Instructor Pilot/Mission Commander, 94th FS, Langley AFB, Va.
5. November 2004 – February 2006, F-22 Instructor Pilot/Mission Commander, 27th FS, Langley AFB, Va.
6. March 2006 – June 2007, F-22 Chief of Wing Weapons and Tactics, 1st Operations Support Squadron, Langley AFB, Va.
7. July 2007 – October 2009, Flight Commander, 90th FS, Elmendorf AFB, Alaska
8. November 2009 – June 2011, Aide de Camp to the Commander, Air Combat Command, Langley AFB, Va.
9. July 2011 – September 2012, Student, Naval Command and Staff College and Maritime Advanced Warfighting School, U.S. Naval War College, Newport, R.I.
10. October 2012 – June 2013, Director of Operations, 325th Operations Group Detachment 1, Tyndall AFB, Fla.
11. July 2013 – June 2014, Director of Operations, 43rd FS, Tyndall AFB, Fla.
12. July 2014 – June 2016, Commander, 43rd FS, Tyndall AFB, Fla.
13. July 2016 – June 2017, Student, National War College, National Defense University, Ft McNair, Washington D.C.
14. June 2017 – June 2019, Senior Air Force Advisor, Cost Assessment and Program Evaluation, Office of the Secretary of Defense, Pentagon, Va.
15. July 2019 – July 2021, Commander, 53d Test and Evaluation Group, Nellis AFB, Nev.
16. July 2021 – July 2023, Commander, 1st Fighter Wing, Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Va.
17. July 2023 – April 2024, Deputy Director of Operations, Air Combat Command, Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Va.
18. April 2024 – Present, Deputy Commander, Fifteenth Air Force, Shaw AFB, S.C.
SUMMARY OF JOINT ASSIGNMENTS
1. June 2017 – June 2019, Senior Air Force Advisor, Cost Assessment and Program Evaluation, Office of the Secretary of Defense, Pentagon, Va.
FLIGHT INFORMATION
Rating: Command Pilot
Flight hours: More than 1,800
Aircraft flown: F-22, F-15C/D, T-38, T-37, F-15E, F-16, HC-130J, and HH-60G
MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
Defense Superior Service Medal with one oak leaf cluster
Legion of Merit with one oak leaf cluster
Meritorious Service Medal with two oak leaf clusters
Air Force Commendation Medal with one oak leaf cluster
Air Force Achievement Medal
Combat Readiness Medal with two oak leaf clusters
(Current as of April 2024)