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Colonel Bryan C. Opperman is the commander of the 820th RED HORSE Squadron (Rapid Engineers Deployable Heavy Operations Repair Squadron Engineers), Twelfth Air Forces (Air Forces Southern) Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada. He provides leadership for the Air Force’s elite combat engineer unit; a self-sustaining, 415-person, highly mobile squadron with engineer, logistics, security, vehicle maintenance, and services capabilities. He ensures mission readiness of 2,700 short tons of mobility equipment worth over $35 million. The squadron provides expedient construction and repair to combatant commanders and unified commands, delivering rapid, decisive, heavy engineering operations and special capabilities… anytime, anywhere.
Colonel Opperman entered the Air Force in 1994 after obtaining his commission through the Reserve Officer Training Corps program at the University of Missouri-Rolla, in Rolla, Missouri. He has served in a variety of assignments at the installation, numbered Air Force and major command levels.
His contingency experiences include multiple deployments in support of Operation UPHOLD DEMOCRACY, Operation SOUTHERN WATCH, Operation IRAQI FREEDOM, Operation ENDURING FREEDOM and Operation FREEDOM’S SENTINEL including duty as the Commander of Det 6, 732nd Expeditionary Civil Engineer Squadron, Balad Air Base, Iraq and as Resident Engineer/Officer-in-charge (OIC), Qalat Resident Office, Afghanistan Engineer District – South, Forward Operating Base (FOB) Eagle, Afghanistan. He has also served as Commander of the 455th Expeditionary Civil Engineer Squadron, Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan.
Prior to this assignment, Colonel Opperman served as the Commander, 5th Civil Engineer Squadron, Minot AFB, North Dakota.
EDUCATION 1994 – Bachelor of Science, University of Missouri-Rolla, Rolla, Missouri; Elec Engineering
2000 – Squadron Officers School, Maxwell AFB, Alabama
2002 – Master of Science, Air Force Institute of Technology, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio;
2005 – Air Command and Staff College, by correspondence
2014 – Air War College, by correspondence
ASSIGNMENTS 1. September 1994 – October 1997, Chief, Maintenance Engineering and Readiness Flight Commander, 28th Civil Engineer Squadron, Ellsworth AFB, South Dakota
2. November 1997 – August 2000, Project Engineer, 823rd RED HORSE Squadron, Hurlburt Field, Florida
3. August 2000 – March 2002, Student, Graduate Engineering Program, Air Force Institute of Technology, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio
4. April 2002 – June 2004, Chief of Construction, HQ 7th Air Force, Osan Air Base, Republic of Korea
5. June 2004 – June 2006, Command RED HORSE Program Manager, Readiness Division, Directorate of Installations and Mission Support Directorate, HQ Air Combat Command, Langley AFB, Virginia
6. October 2005 – April 2006, Deputy Camp Commander, Army Life Support Area, Ali Al Salem Air Base, Kuwait
7. June 2006 – July 2010, Operations Flight Commander, 509th Civil Engineer Squadron, Whiteman AFB, Missouri
8. March 2008 – October 2008, Commander, Detachment 6, 732nd Civil Engineer Squadron, Balad Air Base, Iraq
9. September 2009 – April 2010, Resident Engineer/OIC, Qalat Resident Office, Afghanistan Engineer District – South, FOB Eagle, Afghanistan
10. July 2010 – June 2012, Chief, Operations Branch, Operations Division, Directorate of Installations and Mission Support, HQ Air Mobility Command, Scott AFB, Illinois
11. June 2012 – June 2014, Commander, 18th Civil Engineer Squadron, Kadena Air Base, Japan
12. July 2014 – July 2016, Commander, 5th Civil Engineer Squadron, Minot AFB, North Dakota
13. April 2015 – October 2015, Commander, 455th Expeditionary Civil Engineer Squadron, Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan
14. July 2016 – Present: Commander, 820th RED HORSE Squadron, Nellis AFB, Nevada
MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS Bronze Star Medal with one device
Defense Meritorious Service Medal
Meritorious Service Medal with five oak leaf clusters
Joint Service Commendation Medal
Air Force Commendation Medal with one oak leaf cluster
Army Commendation Medal
Air Force Achievement Medal
Joint Meritorious Unit Award
Meritorious Unit Award with four oak leaf clusters
Air Force Outstanding Unit Award with four oak leaf clusters
Air Force Organizational Excellence Award
Afghanistan Campaign Medal with two devices
Iraq Campaign Medal with one device
Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal
Armed Forces Service Medal
Humanitarian Service Medal
NATO Medal with one device
EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION Second Lieutenant 7 July 1994
First Lieutenant 7 July 1996
Captain 7 July 1998
Major 1 December 2004
Lieutenant Colonel 1 April 2010
Colonel 1 Jul 2016
(Current as of July 2016)