Col. Matthew Muha is the Deputy Commander of the 445th Airlift Wing, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio. He is the second most senior officer responsible for all wing operations and support activities associated with the worldwide strategic air mobility and aeromedical evacuation missions, leads the training, readiness and equipping of more than 1,700 Airmen in 16 units with an inventory of nine C-17 Globemaster III aircraft with a mission to provide worldwide movement of high priority personnel and cargo. The wing also provides mission support to the 655th Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Wing
Col. Muha enlisted in the Air Force as a Chaplains Assistant and later completed ROTC and earned his Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering degree from the University of Dayton in August 1996. He has commanded at the squadron level, served as an acting Deputy Program Executive Officer and Wing Commander, is a member of the Defense Acquisition Corps and architected the Reserve Artificial Intelligence Bullpen. The Colonel is a Master Navigator with more than 1,300 flight hours including more than 70 combat sorties and seven hurricane penetrations. He has deployed in support of Operations Desert Shield, Desert Storm, Northern Watch, Enduring Freedom, Iraqi Freedom, and has flown humanitarian missions in support of Operations Joint Task Force Katrina and Unified Response.
In his civilian capacity, Col. Muha serves as the Director of the Air Force Research Laboratory’s Artificial Intelligence Autonomy Capability “ACT3” Team. Prior to his current position, he served as the Individual Mobilization Augmentee to the Director of Global Power Programs, Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics, the Pentagon, Washington, D.C.
EDUCATION
1996 Bachelor of Science, Mechanical Engineering, University of Dayton, Dayton, Ohio
1997 Aviation Preflight Indoctrination, Naval Air Station Pensacola, Fla.
1998 Fundamentals of Systems Acquisition Management, Defense Acquisition University (DAU), Lackland AFB, Texas
2002 Joint Student Undergraduate Navigator Training, Randolph AFB, Texas
2005 Squadron Officer School, Maxwell AFB, Ala., by correspondence
2005 Intermediate Systems Acquisition, DAU, Fort Belvoir, Va.
2006 Advanced Airlift Tactics Training Course, Fort Huachuca, Ariz.
2008 Master of Science, Systems Engineering, Air Force Institute of Technology, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio
2008 Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell AFB, Ala., by correspondence
2010 Intermediate Science & Technology (S&T) Management Course, DAU, Kettering, Ohio
2011 Advanced S&T Management, DAU, Fort Belvoir, Va.
2011 Executive Space Operations Course, Advanced Space Operations School, Colorado Springs, Colo.
2011 Technical Leadership in Systems Engineering, DAU, Kettering, Ohio
2014 Squadron Commanders’ Course, Robins AFB, Ga.
2015 Mobility Commanders Tactics Course, Rosecrans Air National Guard Base, Saint Joseph, Mo.
2015 Air War College, Maxwell AFB, Ala., by correspondence
2016 Reserve Component National Security, National Defense University, Fort McNair, Washington, D.C.
2016 Joint Maritime Operations, Naval War College, Newport, R.I.
2023 Artificial Intelligence Accelerator, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Mass.
2023 Government Flight & Ground Representative (GFR/GGR), DAU, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio
2024 Safety and Accident Investigation Board President Course, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
2024 Wing-Level Executive Response Course (WERC), Maxwell AFB, Ala
2024 Senior Leader Mission Generation (SLMG), Maxwell AFB, Ala
ASSIGNMENTS
1. August 1996-August 2000, Foreign Space Systems Engineer, National Air & Space Intelligence Center, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio
2. September 2000-February 2001, Student, Joint Student Undergraduate Navigator Training, Randolph AFB, Texas
3. March 2001-June 2001, Student, C-130 Flight Training Unit, Little Rock AFB, Ark.
4. July 2001-December 2008, C-130 Navigator, 164th Airlift Squadron, Mansfield Air National Guard Base, Ohio (September 2003-October 2003, C-130 Navigator, Southwest Asia) (June 2004-August 2004, C-130 Navigator, Southwest Asia), (October 2009-December 2009, C-130 Navigator, Southwest Asia)
5. January 2009-June 2011, Lead Navigator, 773rd Airlift Squadron, Youngstown Air Reserve Station, Ohio (November 2009-December 2009, C-130 Navigator, Southwest Asia)
6. May 2010-July 2010, Director of Operations and Chief of Stan/Eval, 38th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron, Ramstein Air Base, Germany
7. August 2010-June 2011, Lead Navigator, 773rd Airlift Squadron, Youngstown ARS, Ohio
8. July 2011-November 2013, Flight Commander, 773rd Airlift Squadron, Youngstown ARS, Ohio
9. December 2013-July 2016, Commander, 53d Weather Reconnaissance Squadron, Keesler AFB, Miss.
10. July 2016-November 2018, Military Deputy Director, Tanker Directorate, Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio
11. December 2018-September 2020, Associate Director, Materials & Manufacturing Directorate, Air Force Research Laboratory, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio
12. November 2020-November 2023, IMA to the Director, Global Power Programs, Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, the Pentagon, Arlington, Va.
13. November 2023-present, Deputy Commander, 445th Airlift Wing, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio
FLIGHT INFORMATION
Rating: Master Navigator and Parachutist
Flight Hours: More than 1,300 including more than 120 combat hours
Aircraft Flown: T-43, T-1, C-130E, C-130H, and WC-130J
MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
Legion of Merit
Meritorious Service Medal with three oak leaf clusters
Air Medal with oak leaf cluster
Air and Space Commendation Medal
Air and Space Achievement Medal with oak leaf cluster
Military Outstanding Volunteer Service Medal
Nuclear Deterrence Operations Service Medal
OTHER ACHIEVEMENTS
Ohio Governor’s Decoration for Heroism
Defense Acquisition Workforce Improvement Act (DAWIA) Level III Science & Technology Management Certification
DAWIA Level III Engineering Certification
PUBLICATIONS
“C-5 Isochronal Inspection Process Modeling,” Air Force Institute of Technology, December 2007
“Capital Investment Management for Air Force Reserve Command Information Technology,” AFIT, April 2008
PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIPS AND ASSOCIATIONS
Defense Acquisition Corp
Air Force Association
Tau Beta Pi National Engineering Honor Society
Reserve Officers Association Airlift and Tanker Association
EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION
Second Lieutenant September 10, 1996
First Lieutenant September 10, 1998
Captain September 10, 2000
Major March 21, 2005
Lieutenant Colonel August 23, 2011
Colonel July 26, 2016
(Current as of March 2024)