UNITED STATES AIR FORCE

Colonel Fischer retired from the U.S. Air Force as the Executive Assistant to the NATO Special Operations Headquarters (NSHQ) Commander. NSHQ is the senior most Special Operations strategic organization in NATO, crafting doctrine, policy, and strategy as well as ensuring adherence to standardization of operations, tactics, techniques and procedures. Colonel Fischer was the Commander’s principal confidant, trusted advisor and senior manager of the Command Staff. He was the principal gatekeeper of all information in and out of the Commander’s office as well as primary manager of his time.

Colonel Fischer graduated from Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana in 1990 with a history degree. After commissioning, he became a navigator in the EC-130H Compass Call where he was an instructor and weapons officer. Later, he was selected for an exchange with the U.S. Navy flying EA-6B Prowlers off the USS Constellation from 1996 through 1999. Colonel Fischer served in Operations DENY FLIGHT, PROVIDE PROMISE, DELIBERATE FORCE, SOUTHERN WATCH, ALLIED FORCE, ENDURING FREEDOM, and IRAQI FREEDOM. Additionally, he commanded the Provincial Reconstruction Team in Qalat, Afghanistan, was Forward Operating Base Lagman Commanding Officer, and a Deputy Group Commander of the 455th Expeditionary Mission Support Group, Bagram Air Base, Afghanistan. Colonel Fischer also has extensive work on the US Air Staff in both requirements and programming. Most recently, he served as the Chairman of the Joint Chief’s Senior Advisor on European Arms Control at the U.S. Mission to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, then followed as the Senior Defense Official / Defense Attaché to U.S. Embassy Pristina Kosovo. Colonel Fischer is married to the former Barbara Mutsch and father to Tobias Josef Fischer.

Colonel Fischer is a Master Navigator with over 1,800 flying hours; 400 are in combat or combat support in a variety of aircraft.

EDUCATION

1990 Bachelor of Arts degree in History, Indiana University, Bloomington, Ind.

1998 Squadron Officer School, in-residence, Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala.

2000 U.S. Air Force Weapons School, Nellis Air Force Base, Las Vegas, Nev.

2001 Master of Business Administration, University of Phoenix, Tucson, Ariz.

2003 Master of Military Operational Art and Science, Air Command and Staff College, in-residence, Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala.

2011 Master of Military Strategic Resourcing, National Defense University, Ft McNair, Washington, D.C.

ASSIGNMENTS

1. October 1990 – February 1991, Student Navigator, 450th Student Undergraduate Navigation Squadron, Mather Air Force Base, Calif.

2. February 1991 – January 1992, Electronic Warfare Officer, Simulator Event Construction, 453 Flying Training Squadron, Mather Air Force Base, Calif.

3. January 1992 – July 1996, EC-130H Compass Call Instructor Mission Crew Commander, 41 Electronic Combat Squadron, Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Tucson, Ariz.

4. July 1996 – May 1997, EA-6B Prowler Student Electronic Attack Squadron 129, Electronic Counter Measures Officer, Whidbey Island Naval Air Station, Whidbey Island, Wash.

5. May 1997 – July 1999, EA-6B Prowler Weapons and Tactics Officer, Tactical Electronic Combat Squadron 131, Whidbey Island Naval Air Station, Whidbey Island, Wash.

6. July 1999 – June 2000, EC-130H Compass Call Instructor Mission Crew Commander and Compass Call Mission Simulator Flight Commander, 355 Training Squadron, Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Tucson, Ariz.

7. July 2000 – December 2000, Student, US Air Force Weapon School, Nellis Air Force Base, Nev.

8. January 2001 – June 2003, EC-130H Compass Call, Wing Weapons and Tactics, 355 Wing, Davis-Monthan, Air Force Base, Tucson, Ariz.

9. July 2003 – June 2004, Student, Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala.

10. June 2004 –March 2006, Chief Information Superiority Integration Branch, Plans and Programs, Air Force Strategic Plans and Programs, Headquarters Air Force, Washington, D.C.

11. March 2006 – March 2007, Executive Officer, Air Force Strategic Plans and Programs, Headquarters Air Force, Washington, D.C.

12. March 2007 – July 2007, Commander, Provincial Reconstruction Team Qalat, Afghanistan.

13. July 2007 – March 2008, Deputy Group Commander, Expeditionary Support Group, Bagram Air Base, Afghanistan.

14. March 2008 – June 2010, Electronic Attack Branch Chief, Air Force Requirements, Headquarters Air Force, Washington, D.C.

15. June 2010 – June 2011, Student, Industrial College of the Armed Forces, National Defense University, Ft McNair, Washington, D.C.

16. June 2011 – October 2014, Senior Military Advisor to the Organization for Security and Cooperation, Joint Chiefs of Staff, US Mission, Vienna, Austria

17. October 2014 – September 2016, Defense Language Institute and Joint Military Attaché School, Joint Base Bolling, Washington, D.C.

18. September 2016 – September 2018, Senior Defense Official, Defense Attaché, U.S. Embassy Pristina, Kosovo

19. September 2018 – April 2020, Executive Assistant to the Commander, NATO Special Operations Headquarters, NATO Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe, Mons, Belgium

20. Retired from USAF

MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS

Defense Superior Service Medal with one oak leaf cluster

Meritorious Service Medal with three oak leaf clusters

Legion of Merit

Air Medal with two oak leaf clusters and a “V” device for Combat Valor

Aerial Achievement Medal

Joint Service Commendation Medal

Air Force Commendation Medal

Navy Achievement Medal

Combat Readiness Medal

National Defense Service Medal with one bronze star

Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal

Kosovo Campaign Medal

Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal

Global War on Terrorism Service Medal

Armed Forces Service

NATO Medal

EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION

Second Lieutenant May 4, 1990

First Lieutenant June 16, 1992

Captain June 16, 1994

Major September 1, 2001

Lieutenant Colonel April 1, 2006

Colonel 1 August, 2011

(Current as of May 2020)