Colonel Robert C. Lance is the Commander, 7th Mission Support Group, Dyess Air Force Base, Texas. In his current position, he commands six diverse Squadrons responsible for installation civil engineering, security, supply, transportation, fuels, contracting, communications, family support, food, and education and recreational services. The 7th Mission Support Group provides critical installation support to a community of 14,000 members assigned to the 7th Bomb Wing, 317 Airlift Wing and 16 associate units to ensure deployable warfighting forces in support of global engagement taskings.
Colonel Lance was commissioned after graduating from the United States Air Force Academy in 1999. He has held several base level civil engineer positions, commanded two squadrons, and served on a field operating agency staff, major command staff, and in the air component of a combatant command. He has been stationed overseas and deployed multiple times. His deployments include Al Jaber Air Base in Kuwait; Contingency Operating Base Speicher in Iraq; Headquarters United States Force-Afghanistan in Kabul, Afghanistan; and Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan. Prior to this assignment, Colonel Lance was the Test Support Division Chief at the Arnold Engineering Development Complex on Arnold Air Force Base, Tennessee.
EDUCATION:
1999 Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering,
United States Air Force Academy, Colorado Springs, CO
2004 Squadron Officer School, Maxwell Air Force Base, AL
2008 Master of Arts in Human Relations, University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK
2010 Air Command and Staff College, by correspondence
2018 Air War College, by correspondence
ASSIGNMENTS:
1. August 1999 – July 2002, Mechanical Engineer and Chief of Construction Management, 7th Civil Engineer Squadron, Dyess AFB, TX
2. July 2002 – July 2004, Operations and Resources Officer, Facilities Engineering Division, Directorate of Engineering and Logistics, Defense Intelligence Agency, Washington, DC
3. July 2004 – July 2006, Readiness Flight Commander, 65th Civil Engineer Squadron, Lajes Field, Azores
4. July 2006 – July 2009, Chief of Base Development, Operations Flight Commander, and Deputy Commander, 3rd Civil Engineer Squadron, Elmendorf AFB, AK
5. July 2009 – July 2010, Chief of Operations Flight Management, Air Force Civil Engineer Support Agency, Tyndall AFB, FL
6. July 2010 – July 2011, Executive Officer to the Commander, Air Force Civil Engineer Support Agency, Tyndall AFB, FL
7. July 2011 – July 2013, Operations Flight Commander, 28th Civil Engineer Squadron, Ellsworth AFB, SD
8. July 2013 – July 2014, Chief of Civil Engineer Operations Support Branch, Civil Engineer Operations Division, Directorate of Logistics, Installations & Mission Support, Headquarters Air Education and Training Command, Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph, TX
9. July 2014 – June 2015, Executive Officer to the Vice Commander, Headquarters Air Education and Training Command, Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph, TX
10. June 2015 – June 2017, Commander, 90th Civil Engineer Squadron, F. E. Warren AFB, WY
11. July 2017 – July 2019, Commander, 2d Civil Engineer Squadron, Barksdale AFB, LA
12. July 2019 – June 2020, Deputy Director (Forward) for Installations and Contracting, US Air Forces Central Command, Al Udeid AB, Qatar.
13. June 2020 – July 2021, Director of the US Air Forces Central Command’s Program Management Office, Al Udeid AB, Qatar.
14. July 2021 – June 2023, Test Support Division Chief, Arnold Engineering Development Complex, Arnold AFB, TN
15. June 2023 – Present, Commander, 7th Mission Support Group, Dyess AFB, Texas
MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS:
Meritorious Service Medal with silver and 3 bronze oak leaf clusters
Joint Service Commendation Medal
Air Force Commendation Medal
Air Force Achievement Medal
Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal
Afghanistan Campaign Medal
Iraq Campaign Medal
Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal
Nuclear Deterrence Operations Service Medal
Non-Article 5 NATO Medal – International Security Assistance Force (Afghanistan)