Col. Abigail Frander is the Deputy Commander of the 42nd Air Base Wing, Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama. As Deputy Commander, she assists the wing commander with base operations, infrastructure, and services support for 42,000 active-duty personnel, reservists, civilians, contractors, students and families at Maxwell AFB-Gunter-Annex in direct support of Air University and 45 mission partners.
Col. Frander is a command pilot with 499 combat hours, having flown in support of Operations Southern and Northern Watch, Joint Forge, Enduring and Iraqi Freedom. In the Air Mobility Division of the 609th Air Operations Center, she planned and executed combat airdrop missions throughout U.S. Central Command. Col. Frander commanded the 98th Flying Training Squadron, where she led the Air Force parachute team, the Wings of Blue. She wrote air mobility doctrine at the LeMay Center for Doctrine Development and Education. Additionally, she was an adjunct professor of political science at the United States Air Force Academy and served as a presidential advance agent for Air Force One.
In her previous assignment, Col. Frander was the commander, Education Support Squadron, Maxwell AFB. Her team supported all levels of Officer Professional Military Education by delivering human and financial resource management, academic assessment programs, intellectual property administration, technology infrastructure, plans, programs, and emergency management. The squadron supported 458 faculty members and staff, as well as 5,000 resident students and 28,000 distance learning students.
EDUCATION
2000 Bachelor of Science in Aeronautical Engineering, United States Air Force Academy, Colo.
2000 Aerospace Basic Course, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
2005 Squadron Officer School, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
2007 Master of Science in International Relations, Troy University, Ala.
2009 Air Command and Staff College, by correspondence
2010 Army Command and General Staff College, by correspondence
2010 Navy Command and Staff College, by correspondence
2014 Air War College, by correspondence
ASSIGNMENTS:
January 2001 – June 2002, student, Joint Specialized Undergraduate Pilot Training, Columbus Air Force Base, Miss.
June 2002 – August 2002, student, C-9A Initial Qualification, Scott AFB, Ill.
August 2002 – September 2003, Training Officer and Pilot, 75 AS, Ramstein Air Base, Germany
September 2003 – February 2004, Student, C-130E/H Initial Qualification, Little Rock AFB, Ark.
February 2004 – February 2006, Chief Executive Officer and Pilot, 37th Airlift Squadron Ramstein AB, Germany
February 2006 – June 2006, Student, C-130E/H Aircraft Commander Qualification, Little Rock AFB, Ark.
June 2006 – August 2007, Operations Flight Commander, Instructor Pilot and Jumpmaster, 98th Flying Training Squadron, U.S. Air Force Academy, Colo.
September 2007 – September 2008, Flight Safety Officer, 306th Flying Training Group and Adjunct Professor of Political Science, U.S. Air Force Academy, Colo.
October 2008 – March 2011, Chief, Plans and Deployments and Instructor Pilot, 50th Air Refueling Squadron Little Rock AFB, Ark.
March 2011 – July 2011, Plans and Deployments Officer, 19th Operations Group, Little Rock AFB, Ark.
July 2011 – November 2012, Chief, Global Mobility Branch, Doctrine Development, LeMay Center for Doctrine Development and Education, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
November 2012 – May 1013, Chief, Project Integration Branch, A3/6, Headquarters Air University, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
June 2013 – July 2015, Executive Officer to the dual hatted Commander, LeMay Center for Doctrine Development and Education and Vice Commander, Air University, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
July 2015 – June 2016, Chief, Commander’s Action Group, Jeanne M. Holm Center for Officer Accessions and Citizen Development, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
July 2016 – May 2018, Director of Operations, 98th Flying Training Squadron, US Air Force Academy, Colo.
June 2018 – May 2020, Commander, 98th Flying Training Squadron, U.S. Air Force Academy, Colo.
June 2020 – June 2021, Deputy Commander, 306th Flying Training Group, U.S. Air Force Academy, Colo.
June 2021 – June 2023, Commander, Education Support Squadron, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
June 2023 – present, Deputy Commander, 42nd Air Base Wing, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
FLIGHT INFORMATION:
Ratings: Command Pilot and Jumpmaster
Flight Hours: 3,100
Aircraft Flown: T-37B, T-1A, C-9A, C-130E/H3 and UV-18B
Parachute jumps: 1,700
MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS:
Air Force Meritorious Service Medal with three oak leaf clusters
Air Medal with three oak leaf clusters
Air Force Commendation Medal with one oak leaf cluster
Air Force Achievement Medal
Joint Meritorious Unit Award
Air Force Outstanding Unit Award with four oak leaf clusters
National Defense Service Medal
Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal
Kosovo Campaign Medal
Afghanistan Campaign Medal
Iraq Campaign Medal
DATE OF RANK:
Second Lieutenant May 31, 2000
First Lieutenant May 31, 2002
Captain May 31, 2004
Major Jan. 1, 2010
Lieutenant Colonel June 1, 2015
Colonel Jan. 1, 2022
(Current as of Aug. 1, 2023)