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Colonel Abigail I. Kent

Col. Abigail Kent is the deputy commander of the 914th Air Refueling Wing, Niagara Falls Air Reserve Station, New York. She assists with the organizing, training and equipping of 1,454 personnel to provide combat-ready forces for global mobility and strategic deterrence to the Joint Force.

The colonel entered the U.S. Air Force in May of 2000 as a graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy. During her career, she’s held several flying positions including the KC-135 Stratotanker flying training unit instructor-evaluator at Altus Air Force Base, Oklahoma and the KC-135 training program manager at Air Education and Training Command, Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph, Texas. She also served as the deputy chief for presidential flight support at the Pentagon, Washington, where she was responsible for the presidential advance agent program in support of Air Force One. Col. Kent served in the White House military office and worked closely with the Secret Service Uniformed Division and White House staff as she directed Air Force One and Air Force Two arrivals. Prior to her current position, the colonel was the inspector general for the 914 ARW at Niagara Falls ARS, New York.

The colonel has deployed six times in support of several contingencies including operations Iraqi Freedom, Enduring Freedom and New Dawn.

Col. Kent is a command pilot with over 6,500 flight hours in the C-21, KC-135 and other civilian aircraft. The colonel is also a major airline pilot in her civilian capacity.

EDUCATION
2000 Bachelor of Science, Aeronautical Engineering, U.S. Air Force Academy, Colo.
2007 Squadron Officer School, Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala.
2007 Advanced Air Mobility Operations, Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, N.J.
2007 Flight Safety Officer Course, Kirtland AFB, N.M.
2009 Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell AFB, Ala., by correspondence
2010 Advanced Instrument School, Oklahoma City, Okla.
2013 Master of Business Administration, Strategic Leadership, Trident University International, Calif.
2020 Air War College, Maxwell AFB, Ala., by correspondence

ASSIGNMENTS
1. November 2000 – May 2001, Airfield Operations Flight Admin Officer, 60th Operations Group, Travis Air Force Base, Calif.
2. May 2001 – December 2001, Student, Training Squadron Three (VT-3), Whiting Field, Fla.
3. December 2001 – August 2002, Student, 71st Flying Training Wing, Vance AFB, Okla.
4. November 2002 – August 2004, Training Officer, C-21 Pilot, 457th Airlift Squadron, Andrews AFB, Md.
5. August 2004 – March 2006, Chief of Scheduling, C-21 Instructor Pilot, 457th Airlift Squadron, Andrews AFB, Md.
6. March 2006 – September 2007, Flight Commander, 911th Air Refueling Squadron, Grand Forks AFB, N.D.
7. September 2007 – January 2008, Chief of Safety, 912th Air Refueling Squadron, Grand Forks AFB, N.D.
8. January 2008 – May 2008, Chief of Wing Flight Safety, 319th Air Refueling Wing, Grand Forks AFB, N.D.
9. May 2008 – June 2009, Flying Training Unit Instructor Pilot, 54th Air Refueling Squadron, Altus AFB, Okla.
10. June 2009 – May 2010, Operations Group Executive Officer, 97th Operations Group, Altus AFB, Okla.
11. May 2010 – June 2011, Commander, Wing Training Flight, 97th Training Squadron, Altus AFB, Okla.
12. June 2011 – December 2012, Command KC-135 Training Program Manager, Air Education and Training Command, Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph, Texas
13. December 2012 – October 2013, Operations Group Mobility Officer, 459th Operations Support Squadron, Joint Base Andrews, Md.
14. October 2013 – June 2014, Chief of Training, 756th Air Refueling Squadron, JB Andrews, Md.
15. June 2014 – June 2016, Deputy, Presidential Flight Support, Special Air Missions (CVAM), Office of the Assistant Vice Chief of Staff, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Pentagon, Washington, D.C.
16. June 2016 – May 2021, Deputy, Presidential Flight Support, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, A3M, Pentagon, Washington, D.C.
17. May 2021 – June 2023, Inspector General, 914th Air Refueling Wing, Niagara Falls Air Reserve Station, N.Y.
18. June 2023 – present, Deputy Commander, 914th Air Refueling Wing, Niagara Falls ARS, N.Y.

FLIGHT INFORMATION
Rating: Command Pilot
Flight hours: More than 6,500
Aircraft flown: C-21, KC-135R, Boeing 757, Boeing 767

MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
Meritorious Service Medal with three oak leaf clusters
Air Medal with five oak leaf clusters
Aerial Achievement Medal with oak leaf cluster
Air and Space Commendation Medal with oak leaf cluster
Air and Space Achievement Medal
Joint Meritorious Unit Award
Meritorious Unit Award
Air and Space Outstanding Unit Award with eight oak leaf clusters
Combat Readiness Medal
National Defense Service Medal
Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal
Global War on Terrorism Service Medal
Humanitarian Service Medal
Nuclear Deterrence Operations Service Medal
Air and Space Expeditionary Service Ribbon with gold border

(CURRENT AS OF AUGUST 2023)