Lt. Col. Brian K. Steinke is the commander of the 42nd Operations Support Squadron, 42nd Mission Support Group, 42nd Air Base Wing, Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama. He leads a diverse squadron consisting of 80 military, civilian, and contract personnel responsible for providing air traffic control, airfield management, transient alert, precision measuring equipment lab, airfield systems, radar maintenance, aviation resource management, intelligence, and weather services to the 42nd Air Base Wing, the Air Force Reserve’s 908th Airlift Wing, the Air National Guard’s 187th Fighter Wing, Civil Air Patrol-USAF, and over 45 mission partners across Maxwell AFB-Gunter Annex. His team also enables the Defense Support of Civilian Authorities, supporting Federal Emergency Management Agency disaster relief operations in the southeast region of the United States.
Lt. Col. Steinke commissioned in the Air Force through the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps program after graduating from Texas A&M University with a degree in psychology. He has served as a personnel officer and is currently a Master Navigator with more than 1,500 hours in the C-130 Hercules E/H/J, with 595 combat hours on 527 combat sorties in support of operation Enduring Freedom, Iraqi Freedom, and New Dawn.
EDUCATION
2002 Bachelor of Science in Psychology, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas 2009 Squadron Officer School, Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala.
2011 Master of Aviation Science in Human Factors, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Daytona Beach, Fla.
2012 Air Command and Staff College, by correspondence
2018 Air War College, by correspondence
ASSIGNMENTS
January 2003 — May 2006, Squadron Section Commander, 319th Civil Engineer Squadron and 319th Logistics Readiness Squadron, Grand Forks Air Force Base, N.D.
May 2006 — December 2007, Student, Specialized Undergraduate Navigator Training, Randolph AFB, Texas
December 2007 — July 2012, C-130 Instructor Navigator and Chief of Exercises and Inspections, 317th Airlift Group, Dyess AFB, Texas
July 2012 — September 2015, Formal Training Unit Evaluator Navigator, Chief Navigator, 62nd Airlift Squadron, and Director of Staff, 314th Operation Group, Little Rock AFB, Ark.
September 2015 — July 2019, Deputy Chief, Aircrew Operations and Training Division, Headquarters Air Mobility Command, Scott AFB, Ill.
July 2019 — July 2021, Chief, Professional Continuing Education Division and Deputy Director, Wargaming Directorate, LeMay Center for Doctrine Development and Education, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
July 2021 – June 2022 Chief of Safety, 42nd Air Base Wing, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
June 2022 — Present, Commander, 42nd Operations Support Squadron, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
FLIGHT INFORMATION
Rating: Master Navigator
Flight Hours: More than 1,500
Aircraft Flown: C-130E/H/J
MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
Meritorious Service Medal with three oak leaf clusters Air Medal with silver leaf cluster
Air Force Commendation Medal Air Force Achievement Medal
Air Education and Training Command’s Flying Training Flight Commander of the Year, 2014
Distinguished Graduate, C-130 Initial Qualification Training
EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION
Second Lieutenant Jan. 4, 2003
First Lieutenant Jan. 4, 2005
Captain Jan. 4, 2007
Major Dec. 1, 2012
Lieutenant Colonel Dec. 1, 2017
(Current as of July 26, 2023)