Radliff assumes command of 477th Fighter Group

  • Published
  • By David Bedard
  • 673d Air Base Wing
JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON --  Air Force Col. Bryan P. Radliff took the reins of 477th Fighter Group in an assumption-of-command ceremony, April 15, at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson's Hangar 1.

As his first action as group commander, Radliff rounded out the ceremony when he administered the oath of enlistment to nine new Air Force reservists who attended the event.

Radliff said he looks forward to the opportunity of commanding 477th Fighter Group, which is Alaska's Air Force Reserve contingent of the Air Force's total force initiative integrating Reserve Airmen into active duty wings.

"This group serves as a model in our inclusion into the 3rd Wing and effectively the greater JBER community," he explained. "This is a unique opportunity to continue that successful integration, to reach even more heights and to really stand above other initiatives in the Air Force doing this as the one to look up to and admire."

Radliff said he spent the first 10 years of his career on active duty, cutting his teeth on the T-38 Talon trainer before graduating to the F-15 Eagle fighter. He then served three years as a traditional Air Guardsman before joining the Air Force Reserve in 2003.

He said he recently trained to fly the fifth-generation F-22 Raptor stealth fighter operated by the group's 302nd Fighter Squadron in association with 3rd Wing's 90th and 525th fighter squadrons. "(The F-22) is a remarkable airplane," Radliff said. "It's a story we really can't tell a lot of the people how good of an aircraft it really is."

"So what we have to do is tell people, 'It's expensive but you're getting your money's worth out of it,'" the commander continued. "It's a tremendous airplane, very capable and a very valuable asset for this nation."

Radliff said a crucial component of his command philosophy is the tenet of personal responsibility - on or off duty, in civilian and military life - and is focused on three groups of people: Airmen, their families and their employers.

"We are completely dependent upon the civilian employers," he said. "We are predominately a part-time force. If we have a part-time force who doesn't have jobs, we'll cease to exist, so we've got to find jobs for these young men and women who want to serve their country in a part-time capacity and yet still maintain that civilian job that they have."

To realize the goals he has set for the group, Radliff said his number one objective is to tell the unit's story to the Anchorage and greater Alaska communities.

"We have to get out there and show that we're encouraging people to support our program and we're willing to support the community at the same time," he said. "I look forward to being a part of this community. I look forward to getting out and meeting the wonderful people that are here."

During his remarks at the ceremony, Radliff recalled the achievements of then Army Air Forces Lt. Col. Jimmy Doolittle, who was called from the Reserve to lead a raid of 16 B-25 Mitchell bombers - specially modified for launch from the aircraft carrier USS Hornet - on a bombing raid of mainland Japan weeks after the bombing of Pearl Harbor.

Radliff said, though perhaps tactically insignificant, the "Doolittle Raid" nonetheless had powerful strategic implications. For his leadership in the risky mission, Doolittle earned the Medal of Honor.

"The key piece of this was he was a reservist, and he was called back to active duty when his nation needed him," he said. "That is the beauty of the Reserve organization - that retention of valuable experience."

With a tough economy, a new organization and a new fighter, Radliff said he relishes the opportunity to attack the trials ahead.

"There have been a lot of challenges, but we continue to overcome them," he said. "We'll continue to grow, expand and mature as an organization because we're only about four years old, so we still have some learning to do."

According to his official biography, Radliff was commissioned as a second lieutenant upon graduation from Southern Illinois University in 1989.

He served on active duty until joining the Florida National Guard. During his Guard service, he worked for Boeing Aerospace Operations as an F-15 simulator instructor.
He then joined the Air Force Reserve at Eglin Air Force base, Fla., where he established and commanded Detachment 4, 307 Fighter Squadron, which was the first active/reserve classic association in the 33rd Fighter Wing.

During his career, Radliff has logged more than 3,200 hours in T-38s, F-15s and the F-22, and has served as evaluator, instructor and mission commander pilot. Most recently, he served as strategic planner and reserve advisor, Office of the Assistants to the Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff for National Guard and Reserve Matters, Joint Staff, Washington D.C.

The commander is a graduate of Squadron Officer School, Air Command and Staff College, Air War College, Joint and Combined Warfighter School, and he earned a Master of Aeronautical Science at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.

His awards and decorations include the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, the Meritorious Service Medal and the Air Force Commendation Medal.

Radliff has a wife, Lisa, and the couple have three children.