Colonel James J. Muniz is the Commander, 12th Operations Group, 12th Flying Training Wing, Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph, Texas. The group is responsible for introduction to fighter fundamentals student and instructor upgrade missions, as well as the Air Force’s pilot instructor training, undergraduate remotely piloted aircraft pilot training, and basic sensor operator training programs. The group consists of five flying training squadrons, an operations support squadron, and a training squadron with more than 350 flying instructors, 20 enlisted members, and 282 DoD civilians and contractors who collectively produce more than 1,100 graduates per year. Prior to assuming his current position, Col. Muniz served as the liaison officer for the United States Strategic Command where he was responsible for coordinating air refueling and air lift missions in support of Department of Defense global deterrence and strategic options. Col. Muniz graduated from Texas A&M University in 1997 with a Bachelor of Science in Bio-Medical Science. He was commissioned in 1999 through Officer Training School where he was a Distinguished Graduate. Col. Muniz is a command pilot with more than 4,800 flying hours in the KC-135 R/T/RT, T-1 and T-6 with multiple deployments performing combat and contingency flight operations in USCENTCOM and USAFRICOM including Southern Watch, Enduring Freedom, Iraqi Freedom and Odyssey Dawn.