Col. Brian C. Epperson is the Commander of the 92d Air Refueling Wing, Fairchild Air Force Base, Washington. The Wing provides global reach airpower and deploys expeditionary forces in support of worldwide combat, contingency, and humanitarian requirements. The Wing operates 68 KC-135 Stratotanker aircraft performing refueling, airlift, and aeromedical evacuation missions supporting U.S. and coalition contingency operations, and U.S. Strategic Command strategic deterrence missions. As the Wing Commander, Colonel Epperson is responsible for activities and assigned functions of Fairchild Air Force Base and support for 18 associate units.
Colonel Epperson entered the Air Force in 2002 through Officer Training School after graduating from the University of Louisville. He is a command pilot with more than 3,000 flying hours, including over 1,250 combat hours. His flight experience spans the KC-135R/T/RT, C-5A/B/M, T-6A, and T-1A.
Prior to his current assignment, he served as the Commander, 92d Operations Group, Fairchild Air Force Base, WA.
EDUCATION
2000 Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Administration, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY
2002 Aerospace Basic Course, Maxwell AFB, AL
2009 Squadron Officer School, Maxwell AFB, AL
2009 Master of Business Administration, Touro University International, Los Alamitos, CA
2014 Master of Military Operational Arts and Sciences, Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell AFB, AL
2019 Air War College, by correspondence
2021 Master of Arts, National Resource Strategy, The Eisenhower School for National Security and Resource Strategy, Fort Lesley J. McNair, Washington, D.C.
2023 Jewish Institute for National Security In America’s U.S. Military Leaders Program, Tel Aviv, Israel
2023 Introduction to Artificial Intelligence Course, International Business Machines (IBM) Corporation
2023 Artificial Intelligence: Implications for Business Strategy Certificate Program, Massachusetts Institute of Technology Sloan School of Management / Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (MIT Sloan and MIT CSAIL)
2023 Foundations of Project Management, Google (Alphabet) Corporation
2025 NUC 400 - Senior Leader Nuclear Management Course, Air Force Institute of Technology, Kirtland AFB, NM
2025 Senior Leadership Development Program, Center for Creative Leadership, Colorado Springs, CO
ASSIGNMENTS
1. July 2002 - June 2004, C-32 Integrated Logistics Support Officer, Executive Officer to the Director, Mobility Systems Program Office, Aeronautical Systems Center, Wright-Patterson AFB, OH
2. July 2004 - November 2005, Student, Joint Specialized Undergraduate Pilot Training, Moody AFB, GA and Laughlin AFB, TX
3. December 2005 - May 2006, Student, KC-135R Pilot Initial Qualification course, Air Mobility Training Center, Altus AFB, OK
4. May 2006 - December 2010, KC-135R/T/RT Instructor Pilot, Scheduling Officer, Flight Commander, and Operations Group Chief Executive Officer, 344th Air Refueling Squadron, McConnell AFB, KS
5. December 2010 - March 2011, C-5A/B Aircraft Commander Initial Qualification course, Kelly Field, Lackland AFB, TX
6. March 2011 - July 2013, C-5A/B/M Instructor Pilot, Chief of Squadron Training, 9th Airlift Squadron and Chief of Wing Training, 436th Operations Support Squadron, Dover AFB, DE
7. July 2013 - June 2014, Student, Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell AFB, AL
8. June 2014 - March 2017, Chief, Air Refueling Programming Branch and Executive Officer, Deputy Chief of Staff for Strategic Plans, Programs and Requirements, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, The Pentagon, Washington, D.C.
9. March 2017 – May 2018, Director of Operations, 93d Air Refueling Squadron, Fairchild AFB, WA
10. May 2018 – May 2019, Commander, 340th Expeditionary Air Refueling Squadron, Kandahar Airfield, Afghanistan
11. May 2019 – July 2020, Deputy Division Chief Mobility, Vertical Lift, and Special Operations Requirements Division, Deputy Chief of Staff for Strategy, Integration and Requirements, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, The Pentagon, Washington, D.C.
12. August 2020 – June 2021, Student, The Eisenhower School for National Security and Resource Strategy, Fort Lesley J. McNair, Washington, D.C.
13. June 2021 – June 2023, Deputy Chief, Joint Staff J5 - Middle East Directorate, South and Central Asia Division, The Pentagon, Washington, D.C.
14. June 2023 – July 2024, Director, Joint Plans, Modeling, and Simulation, Algorithmic Warfare Division, Office of the Secretary of Defense, Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Office, Washington, D.C.
15. July 2024 – June 2026, Commander, 92d Operations Group, Fairchild Air Force Base, WA
16. June 2026 – Present, Commander, 92d Air Refueling Wing, Fairchild Air Force Base, WA
SUMMARY OF JOINT ASSIGNMENTS
1. June 2021 – June 2023, Deputy Chief, Joint Staff J5 - Middle East Directorate, South and Central Asia Division, The Pentagon, Washington, D.C., as a Lieutenant Colonel and Colonel.
2. June 2023 – July 2024, Director, Joint Plans, Modeling, and Simulation, Algorithmic Warfare Division, Office of the Secretary of Defense, Chief Digital and Artificialm Intelligence Office, Washington, D.C., as a Colonel.
FLIGHT INFORMATION
Rating: Command Pilot
Flight hours: More than 3,000 total; including more than 1,250 combat hours
Aircraft flown: T-6A, T1-A, KC-135R/T/RT, C-5A/B/M
MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
Legion of Merit
Bronze Star Medal
Defense Meritorious Service Medal with oak leaf cluster
Meritorious Service Medal with three oak leaf clusters
Air Medal with "C" Device and seven oak leaf clusters
Joint Service Commendation Medal
Air and Space Commendation Medal with oak leaf cluster
Afghanistan Campaign Medal with bronze star
Iraq Campaign Medal with bronze star
NATO Meritorious Service Medal
(Current as of June 2026)