Major Brett W. Bakner is the Commander, 477th Force Support Squadron, 477th Fighter Group, Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska. He is responsible for the operations and training of a squadron that encompasses nine agile combat support mission areas. His squadron provides manpower, personnel, services, communications, logistics, supply, transportation, education and training, and knowledge operations management to support 300 Airmen under the Total Force Enterprise concept of Air Force Reserve Command’s first F-22 associate unit.
Maj. Bakner completed his Bachelor of Science degree at the University of North Texas and gained his commission in 2002 through ROTC. During his first assignment at Travis Air Force Base, California as a manpower analyst, his facilitation talents resulted in numerous wing-level core process improvements leading the way in winning the U.S. Air Force Large Manpower Office of the Year Award in 2003.
Maj. Bakner became a two-time section commander before leaving Alaska for a break in service. During that time he became an action officer and project manager for Headquarters, Department of the Army before returning to the Air Force as a chief of Equal Opportunity in the Air Force Reserve.
In 2011 Bakner returned to Alaska, as a 477th FG executive officer and performance planner. He served as the command strategic advisor and subject matter expert in Air Force Continuous Process Improvement initiatives where he coached senior leaders, monitored unit processes, and facilitated process improvement events to better manage unit level mission essential tasks.
EDUCATION
2002 Bachelor of Science, Program Management, University of North Texas, Denton, Texas
2003 Air and Space Basic Course (ASBC), Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala.
2008 Action Officer Development Course, Fort Belvoir, Va.
2009 Master of Business Administration, specialization in Project Management, Walden University, Minn.
2010 Graduate Certificate in Strategic Management, George Washington University, Arlington, Va.
2012 Squadron Officer School, by correspondence
2020 Air Command and Staff College, by correspondence
ASSIGNMENTS
1. Sept. 2002 - Aug. 2004, Manpower Program Management officer in charge, 60th Mobility Wing, Travis AFB, Calif.
2. Aug. 2004 - June 2005, Section Commander, 60th Mission Support Squadron, Travis AFB, Cali.
3. June 2005 - Sept. 2006, Section Commander, 3rd Equipment Maintenance Squadron, Elmendorf AFB, Alaska
4. Sept. 2007 - July 2011, Chief, Equal Opportunity, 911th Airlift Wing, Pittsburgh Air Reserve Station, Pa.
5. July 2011 - 2013, Executive officer, 477th Fighter Group, Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska
6. July 2013 - Sept. 2020, Performance planner, 477th Fighter Group, JBER, Alaska
7. Sept. 2020 - Present, Commander, 477th Force Support Squadron, JBER, Alaska
MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
Meritorious Service Medal with two oak leaf clusters
Air Force Commendation Medal with two oak leaf clusters
Air Force Achievement Medal
Air Force Outstanding Unit with one silver oak leaf cluster
National Defense Service Medal with star device
Air Force Training with star device