Colonel Randall L. Roberts is the commander of the 442nd Mission Support Group, one of three groups in the 442nd Fighter Wing, based at Whiteman Air Force Base, Mo. Colonel Roberts is responsible for the command leadership of a four-squadron group, which encompasses emergency operations, readiness, security, construction, fire protection, communications, explosive ordnance disposal, human resources, food services, fuels, transportation, supply and Airmen and Family Readiness. The 442nd Mission Support Group provides base support functions for a unit equipped, Total Force Enterprise, combat-coded A-10 Thunderbolt II unit.
Colonel Roberts received his commission from the United States Air Force Academy, Colorado in 1996. He has served as a design civil engineer at Hanscom AFB, Mass. and attended graduate school at the Air Force Institute of Technology, Wright- Patterson AFB, Ohio, where he earned a Master’s Degree in Engineering and Environmental Management. Colonel Roberts has also served in various positions in the 611th Civil Engineer Squadron at Elmendorf AFB, Alaska, as a MILCON Programmer on the Air Force Space Command staff, and as the Chief, AFFOR A7 Construction Division for the Combined Air Operations Center at Al Udeid AB, Qatar.
Colonel Roberts has also served as the 9th Civil Engineer Operations Flight Commander at Beale AFB, Calif. in addition to the Chief of Army and Air Force Construction at US Forces Japan Staff at Yokota AB, Japan. Prior to group command, he served as the 10th Air Force Civil Engineer at Naval Air Station, Joint Reserve Base in Forth Worth, Texas and as the commander of the 567th RED HORSE Squadron at Seymour Johnson AFB, N.C.
EDUCATION
1996 Bachelor’s Degree in Civil Engineering, United States Air Force Academy, Colo.
2001 Master’s Degree in Engineering and Environmental Management, Air Force Institute of Technology, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio
2002 Squadron Officer School, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
2006 Air Command and Staff College (Correspondence)
2016 Air War College (Correspondence)
ASSIGNMENTS
1. May 1996 – August 1999, Civil Engineer, 66th Civil Engineering Squadron, Hanscom AFB, Mass.
2. August 1999 – May 2001, Student, Department of Systems and Engineering Management, Air Force Institute of Technology, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio
3. May 2001 – May 2002, Chief of Environmental Planning, 611th Civil Engineering Squadron, Elmendorf AFB, Alaska
4. May 2002 – July 2003, Maintenance Engineer, 611th Air Support Squadron, Elmendorf AFB, Alaska
5. July 2003 – June 2004, Chief of Engineering, 611th Civil Engineer Squadron, Elmendorf AFB, Alaska
6. June 2004 – July 2006, Command MILCON Programmer, Headquarters Air Force Space Command, Peterson AFB, Colo.
7. July 2006 – July 2007, Chief, AFFOR A7 Construction Division, Det 9, Ninth Air Force Headquarters, 9th Aerospace Expeditionary Task Force (9AETC), Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar
8. July 2007 – July 2010, Operations Flight Commander, 9th Civil Engineer Squadron, Beale AFB, Calif.
9. July 2010 – November 2011, Chief, Army/Air Force Construction, US Forces Japan, Yokota AB, Japan
10. November 2011 – September 2014, 10th AF Civil Engineer, 10th Air Force, NAS JRB, Fort Worth, Texas
11. September 2014 – December 2019, Commander, 567th RED HORSE Squadron, Seymour Johnson AFB, N.C.
12. December 2019 – Present, Commander, 442nd Mission Support Group, Whiteman AFB, Mo.
MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
Bronze Star
Defense Meritorious Service Medal
Meritorious Service Medal with four oak leaf clusters
Air Force Commendation Medal with oak leaf cluster
Joint Meritorious Unit Award
Meritorious Unit Award
Air Force Outstanding Unit Award with three oak leaf clusters
Air Force Organizational Excellence Award
National Defense Service Medal with bronze star
Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal with bronze star
Iraq Campaign Medal with bronze star
Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal with bronze star
Global War on Terrorism Service Medal
Humanitarian Service Medal
EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION
Second Lieutenant May 29, 1996
First Lieutenant May 29, 1998
Captain May 29, 2000
Major May 1, 2006
Lieutenant Colonel August 10, 2012
Colonel June 1, 2017
(Current as of January 2020)