Col. Jeff Simmons is the Commander, Nevada Test and Training Range, Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada. He oversees a 2.9-million-acre range and 12,000 square miles of airspace that make up the NTTR complex—the United States' largest and most sophisticated instrumented battlespace for testing and training US military and coalition forces. He also oversees the Joint Integrated Test & Training Center-Nellis that comprises the Air Force’s most advanced synthetic battleground.
Col. Simmons earned his commission through the Air Force Officer Training School at Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama in December 2001. He completed pilot training in July 2003 and since then has held various positions flying the UH-1N, HH-60G and HH-60W. He served as the first Aide-de-Camp in Global Strike Command and deployed to Iraq in support of Operation New Dawn.
Col. Simmons is also a Foreign Area Officer specializing in Latin America and speaks Spanish fluently. He served in various roles in that specialty, including the office of the Deputy Undersecretary of the Air Force for International Affairs at the Pentagon, Washington D.C., later as Commander of the multinational 318th Training Squadron at the Inter-American Air Forces Academy, Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, Texas, and as the Chief of Training and Exercises at Headquarters US Southern Command, Miami, Florida. Prior to his current position, he was the Director of Operations at the Nevada Test and Training Range, Nellis AFB, Nevada.
EDUCATION
2000 Bachelor of Science degree in Business Finance, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah
2008 Squadron Officer School, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
2009 Master of Business Administration, American Military University, Charles Town, W.Va.
2011 Air Command and Staff College, by correspondence
2013 Associate of Science in Spanish, Defense Language Institute, Presidio of Monterey, Calif.
2014 Command and General Staff College, Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation, Fort Benning, Ga.
2020 Joint and Combined Warfighting School, Joint Forces Staff College, Norfolk, Va.
2022 Master of Science in Inter-American Defense and Security, Inter American Defense College, Fort McNair, D.C.
ASSIGNMENTS
1. January 2002-October 2002, student, undergraduate pilot training, Columbus Air Force Base, Miss.
2. November 2002-July 2003, student, helicopter undergraduate pilot training, Fort Rucker, Ala.
3. August 2003-January 2004, student, UH-1N Initial Qualification Training, Kirtland AFB, N.M.
4. January 2004-May 2007, UH-1N aircraft commander, instructor, and evaluator pilot, Chief of Weapons and Tactics, Chief of
Training, Chief of Standardization and Evaluation, 37th Helicopter Squadron, F. E. Warren AFB, Wyo.
5. May 2007-July 2009, UH-1N Evaluator Pilot, Executive Officer, and Student Flight Commander, 512th Rescue Squadron, Kirtland
AFB, N.M.
6. July 2009-December 2009, Aide-de-Camp to Commander Air Force Global Strike Command, Barksdale AFB, La.
7. December 2009-March 2010, Instructor and Evaluator Pilot, 512th Rescue Squadron, Kirtland AFB, N.M.
8. March 2010-October 2010, student, HH-60G Initial Qualification Training, 512 Rescue Squadron, Kirtland AFB, N.M.
9. October 2010-July 2012, Aircraft Commander, Assistant Operations Officer, 66 Rescue Squadron, Nellis AFB, Nev.
10. August 2012-April 2013, student, Spanish Language Basic Course, Defense Language Institute, Presidio of Monterey, Calif.
11. May 2013-June 2014, IDE student, Command and General Staff College, Western Hemisphere Institute for Security
Cooperation, Fort Benning, Ga.
12. July 2014-June 2015, Country Director, Americas and Africa Division, Deputy Undersecretary of the Air Force International
Affairs, Pentagon, Washington D.C.
13. June 2015-July 2016, Executive Officer, Deputy Undersecretary of the Air Force International Affairs, Pentagon, Washington
D.C.
14. August 2016-June 2018, Director of Operations, 40th Helicopter Squadron, Malmstrom AFB, Mont.
15. June 2018-June 2020, Commander, 318th Training Squadron, JBSA-Lackland, Texas
16. June 2020-June 2021, Inspector General, 37th Training Wing, JBSA-Lackland, Texas
17. July 2021-June 2022, SDE student, Inter American Defense College, Fort McNair, D.C.
18. July 2022-June 2025, Chief Training and Exercises Division, Exercises and Coalition Affairs Directorate (J7/9), U.S. Southern
Command, Miami, Fl.
19. June 2025-June 2026, Director of Range Operations, Nevada Test and Training Range, Nellis AFB, Nev.
20. June 2026-Present, Commander, Nevada Test and Training Range, Nellis AFB, Nev.
SUMMARY OF JOINT ASSIGNMENTS
1. July 2022-June 2025, Chief Training and Exercises Division, U.S. Southern Command, Miami, Fl, as a colonel
FLIGHT INFORMATION
Rating: Command Pilot
Flight hours: 2440
Aircraft flown: T-37, UH-1H, UH-1N, HH-60G and HH-60W
MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
Defense Meritorious Service Medal
Meritorious Service Medal with four oak leaf clusters
Air Medal
Aerial Achievement Medal
Air and Space Commendation Medal with three oak leaf clusters
Air and Space Achievement Medal
EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION
Second Lieutenant Dec. 20, 2001
First Lieutenant Dec. 20, 2003
Captain Dec. 20, 2005
Major Dec. 1, 2011
Lieutenant Colonel Nov. 1, 2016
Colonel Nov. 1, 2022
(CURRENT AS OF JULY 2025)