Col. Anthony A. Kleiger is the Director of Safety for Air Combat Command, at Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Virginia. He is responsible for implementing the command’s flight, occupational, and weapons safety mishap prevention programs designed to preserve combat capability by providing guidance and directives to all ACC subordinate units (NAFs, center, wings and squadrons). He advises the ACC commander and staff on mishap trends, problem areas, and command-level initiatives. In addition, he provides direction, guidance, and assistance to all of the command’s safety investigations. Col. Kleiger oversees safety guidance for 35 wings, 26 weapon systems, over 1,000 aircraft and 157,000 personnel.
Col. Kleiger received his commission in 1988 through Marine Corps Officer Candidate School at Marine Corps Base Quantico, Virginia. He has flown Western Pacific Deployment Missions in the EA- 6B and Operations NOBLE EAGLE, UNIFIED PROTECTOR in the E-3. His Headquarters Air Combat Command staff experience includes positions in CAF Scheduling, Joint Operations Branch and as a deployed executive officer to the CENTCOM Deputy Combined Force Air Component Commander. He served as the Chief, Readiness Branch at United States Pacific Command, Camp H.M. Smith, Hawaii. Prior to his current assignment, he was the NATO AWACS Maintenance Group Commander and AFELM Commander at NATO Air Base, Geilenkirchen, Germany.
EDUCATION
1987 Bachelor of Business Administration, Middle Tennessee State University, Murfreesboro, Tenn.
1988 The Basic School Marine Corps Base, Quantico, Va.
1992 Undergraduate Strike Pilot Training, Naval Air Station Meridian, Miss.
1994 EA-6B Fleet Replacement Squadron, NAS Whidbey Island, Wash.
2003 Squadron Officer School, by correspondence
2006 Air Command and Staff College, by correspondence
2007 Joint Forces Staff College JPME Phase II, Norfolk, Va.
2010 Master of Science degree in aeronautical science, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Fla.
2013 Air War College, by correspondence
2018 Naval War College, in residence
ASSIGNMENTS
1. January 1989 - July 1989, student, Basic School, Marine Corps Base, Quantico, Va.
2. July 1989 - December 1989, action officer, Marine Corps Combat Development Command, Quantico, Va.
3. January 1990 - November 1990, student, Naval Aviator, NAS Pensacola, NAS Whiting Field, Fla.
4. November 1990 - July 1992, student, Naval Aviator, NAS Meridian, Miss.
5. July 1992 - May 1994, student, EA-6B Fleet Replacement SQ, VAQ-129, NAS Whidbey Island, Wash.
6. May 1994 - June 1996, EA-6B Aircraft Commander, schedules officer, VMAQ-2, MCAS Cherry Point, N.C.
7. June 1996 - September 1998, T-34 evaluation pilot, Undergrad Navigator Training, VT-4, NAS Pensacola, Fla.
8. December 2002 - October 2003, student, E-3 pilot, Tinker AFB, Okla.
9. October 2003 - June 2004, assistant flight commander, 960th Airborne Air Control Squadron, Tinker AFB, Okla.
10. June 2004 - January 2006, Flight Commander, 960th Airborne Air Control Squadron, Tinker AFB, Okla.
11. January 2006 - September 2006, Assistant Director of Operations, 552nd Training Squadron, Tinker AFB, Okla.
12. September 2006 - February 2007, Chief, Flight Deck Requirements, 552nd Air Control Wing, Tinker AFB, Okla.
13. February 2007 - June 2008, Deputy Chief, CAF Scheduling Branch, HQ ACC/A3O, Langley AFB, Va.
14. June 2008 - July 2009, executive officer, CENTCOM DCFACC, 609th CAOC, Al Udeid, Qatar
15. July 2009 - March 2010, Chief, Joint Operations Branch, Headquarters ACC/A3J, Langley AFB, Va.
16. March 2010 - September 2010, student, E-3 instructor pilot, Tinker AFB, Okla.
17. September 2010 - June 2011, assistant director of operations, 552nd Operations Support Squadron, Tinker AFB, Okla.
18. June 2011 - September 2012, Director of Operations, 552nd Operations Support Squadron, Tinker AFB, Okla.
19. September 2012 - October 2014, Commander, 965th Airborne Air Control Squadron, Tinker AFB, Okla.
20. October 2014 - July 2017, Chief, Readiness Branch, USPACOM J3, Camp H.M. Smith, Hawaii
21. July 2017 - July 2018, student, Naval War College, Naval Station Newport, R.I.
22. July 2018 - June 2020, Commander, Maintenance Group/AFELM, E-3A Component, NATO Airborne Early Warning & Control Force, NATO Air Base, Geilenkirchen, Germany
23. July 2020 - Present, Director of Safety, Air Combat Command, Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Va.
SUMMARY OF JOINT ASSIGNMENTS
Oct 2014 - Jul 2017, Chief Readiness Branch, Current Operations Division, USPACOM J-3 as a Lieutenant Colonel.
Jul 2018 - Jun 2020, Commander, NATO AWACS Maintenance Group, NATO Airborne Early Warning & Control Force as a Colonel.
FLIGHT INFORMATION
Rating: Command pilot
Flight Hours: More than 4,400
Aircraft flown: E-3A/B/C/G, EA-6B, TA-4J, T-2C, T-34C
MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
Defense Superior Service Medal Bronze Star
Defense Meritorious Service Medal
Meritorious Service Medal with two oak leaf clusters
Navy Achievement Medal
Meritorious Unit Award
AF Outstanding Unit Award with Valor Device
National Defense Service Medal
Global War on Terrorism Service Medal
Humanitarian Service Medal
EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION
Second Lieutenant, Dec. 9, 1988
First Lieutenant, Jan. 20, 1991
Captain, Jan. 26, 1998
Major, March 1, 2006
Lieutenant Colonel, Feb. 1, 2011
Colonel, Jun. 1, 2017
(Current as of January 2021)