Colonel Randall J. Heusser is currently the Commander of the 459th Operations Group. His previous assignment was the Military Assistant to the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy.
Colonel Heusser is a 2002 graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy. After graduation, upon reporting to flight training, Colonel Heusser was unexpectedly reassigned and became a Security Forces officer where he served one assignment prior to receiving a flight medical re-clearance. Upon completion of pilot training, Colonel Heusser was assigned to Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, N.J., where he served as an Instructor in the KC-10A and squadron Flight Commander. Previously assigned to Travis Air Force Base, Calif., he has served as Chief, Squadron Standardization and Evaluation and a wing executive officer for Air Mobility Command’s largest air mobility wing. Colonel Heusser served on Capitol Hill as a defense legislative fellow for Congressman John Garamendi (CA-03) and followed his fellowship as the branch chief for the Secretary of the Air Force’s Legislative Liaison Force Structure and Strategic Basing portfolio. Following his first staff tour in the National Capital Region, Colonel Heusser was the C-12 Detachment Chief for the United States Military Training Mission in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Colonel Heusser was the Commander of the 60th Operations Support Squadron, Travis AFB, where he led more than 385 military and civilian personnel within nine diverse flights. Following squadron command, he was assigned to the United States Military Delegation to the NATO Military Committee in Brussels, Belgium. At the NATO HQ he served as the executive officer to the U.S. Military Representative, a planner for Integrated Air & Missile Defense, and an advisor for Strategic Engagements. Colonel Heusser previously deployed with more than 100 combat missions, in support of Operations ENDURING FREEDOM, IRAQI FREEDOM, NEW DAWN, and ODYSSEY DAWN. He is a senior mobility pilot, having logged over 2,700 hours in the T-6, T-1A, C-12C/D, KC-10A, and most recently, the KC-135R aircraft.
EDUCATION
2002 Bachelor of Science in Military Doctrine, Operations & Strategy, U.S. Air Force Academy, Colorado Springs, Colo.
2003 Air and Space Basic Course, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
2008 Distinguished Graduate, Squadron Officer School, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
2009 Master of Science in International Relations, Nat’l Security Affairs, Troy University, Troy, Ala.
2011 Air Command & Staff College, by correspondence
2013 Air Force Fellow, Georgetown University’s Government Affairs Institute, Washington, D.C.
2023 Master of Science in National Security Strategy, National War College, Washington, D.C.
ASSIGNMENTS
1. Aug 2002 – Jul 2003, Student, Undergraduate Flying Training, Columbus AFB, MS/Tyndall AFB, Fla.
2. Jul 2003 – Sept 2005, Flight Commander, Assistant Operations Officer, 49th Security Forces Squadron, Holloman AFB, N.M.
3. Sept 2005 – Nov 2006, Student, Specialized Undergraduate Pilot Training, Laughlin AFB, Texas
4. Dec 2006 – Jul 2010, KC-10A Instructor Aircraft Commander, Chief Squadron Mobility, Flight Commander, 2d Air Refueling Squadron, Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, N.J.
5. Jul 2010- Jun 2013, KC-10A Evaluator Aircraft Commander, Chief of Sq Standardization & Evaluation, Wing Executive Officer, 6th Air Refueling Squadron, 60th Air Mobility Wing, Travis AFB, Calif.
6. Jul 2013 – Dec 2014, IDE Student/Secretary of the Air Force Legislative Fellow & Defense Legislative Fellow for the Office of Congressmen John Garamendi (CA-03), Washington, D.C.
7. Dec 2014 – Oct 2015, Branch Chief, Force Structure & Strategic Basing, Secretary of the Air Force Legislative Liaison Programs & Legislation Division, Pentagon, Va.
8. Oct 2015 – Oct 2016, Chief, C-12 Detachment, United States Military Training Mission, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
9. Oct 2016 – May 2017, Assistant Director of Operations, KC-10A Instructor Aircraft Commander, 9th Air Refueling Squadron, Travis AFB, Calif.
10. May 2017 – Nov 2018, Commander, 60th Operations Support Squadron, Travis AFB, Calif.
11. Nov 2018 – Jun 2021, Executive Officer, Strategic Engagements Advisor, & IAMD/Air/Space/Nuclear Planner to the US Military Representative to the NATO Military Committee, NATO Headquarters, Brussels, Belgium (Joint Assignment).
12. Jul 2021- Jun 2022, Student, National War College, Ft McNair, Washington, D.C.
13. Jun 2022 – Jul 2024, Military Assistant to the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy, Office of the Secretary of Defense, Pentagon, Va. (Joint Assignment)
14. Aug 2024 – Present, Commander, 459th Operations Group, Joint Base Andrews, Md.
FLIGHT INFORMATION
Rating: Senior Pilot
Flight Hours: 2,700
Aircraft flown: T-6, T-1A, C-12C/D, KC-10A, KC-135R
MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
Defense Superior Service Medal
Defense Meritorious Service Medal with one oak leaf cluster
Meritorious Service Medal with two oak leaf clusters
Air Medal with four oak leaf clusters
Air and Space Commendation Medal with two oak leaf clusters
Joint Meritorious Award with one oak leaf cluster
Air and Space Achievement Medal
Afghanistan Campaign Medal with one service star
Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal
EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION
Second Lieutenant 29 May 2002
First Lieutenant 29 May 2004
Captain 29 May 2006
Major 1 Apr 2012
Lieutenant Colonel 1 Dec 2016
Colonel 1 June 2022
(Current as of Aug 2024)