Colonel Kevin D. Hicok

Colonel Kevin D. Hicok is the Commander at the 20th Fighter Wing, Shaw Air Force Base, South Carolina. The wing's mission is to provide, project and sustain combat-ready air forces. He is responsible for the mission readiness of the wing’s 79 aircraft and 18 squadrons, stewardship of Shaw Air Force Base, and the health and welfare of over 8,000 active-duty Airmen and civilians. Furthermore, Col Hicok supervises the support of the 31,000 local military retirees and 29 geographically separated units across nine states.

Colonel Hicok received his commission as a distinguished graduate of the Air Force ROTC program from the University of Minnesota- Twin Cities, Minn. in 2001. He has served as an F-16 pilot, instructor pilot, flight examiner, weapons officer, and instructor at the USAF Fighter Weapons School at Nellis AFB, Nev. Colonel Hicok also served as the Commander, 51st Operations Support Squadron, Osan AB, Republic of Korea. Prior to his current position, he served as the Deputy Commander of the 20th Fighter Wing.

Colonel Hicok is a command pilot with over 2,300 hours in the F-16 and 297 combat hours. Earlier in his career, he deployed in support of Operation IRAQI FREEDOM and served as an advisor to the 603d and 617th Air Operations Centers during crisis action planning and execution of Operation ODYSSEY DAWN and Operation UNIFIED PROTECTOR. Most recently he deployed as the Commander of the 378th Air Expeditionary Wing, Prince Sultan Air Base, Saudi Arabia where he led 25 squadrons, 11 aviation units, and nearly 5,000 joint personnel who earned the Gallant Unit Citation supporting Operations MIDNIGHT HAMMER, ROUGH RIDER, PROSPERITY GUARDIAN, INHERANT RESOLVE, and SPARTAN SHIELD.