Lieutenant Colonel Isaiah L. Oppelaar is the Air Mobility Strategist, Joint Air Power Competence Centre (NATO), in Kalkar, Germany. In this role, he executes the JAPCC Program of Work for air mobility including leading the Global Air to Air Refuelling interoperability and compatibility efforts, supporting AIRCOM’s Specialized Heavy Air Refuelling Course (SHARC), and supporting the Military Committee Joint Standardisation Board as the Chairman of the Air to Air Refuelling Working Group.

Lt Col Oppelaar received a regular commission into the United States Air Force in 2005 as a graduate of the United States Air Force Academy. He received his “Wings” and pilot rating from Columbus Air Force Base, Mississippi, and then was selected to fly the venerable KC-135R/T. He is a Distinguished Graduate of the USAF Weapons School, recipient of the 2012 Outstanding Graduate Award, and holds a Senior Pilot rating with more than 2500 hours in the T-37, T-1, KC-10, and KC-135R/T. Lt Col Oppelaar’s flying experience includes multiple deployments in support of Operations IRAQI FREEDOM, ENDURING FREEDOM, NEW DAWN, and UNIFIED PROTECTOR and has more than 130 combat missions in the skies over Iraq, Afghanistan, and Libya.

Previously, Lt Col Oppelaar served as the Commander, 340th Expeditionary Air Refueling Squadron, Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar. In this role, he led more than five hundred rotational Total Force Air Mobility Command personnel from more than fifteen different units, flying thirteen KC-135R/T and one C-21 aircraft in support of Operation INHERENT RESOLVE, Operation FREEDOM SENTINEL, and Operation SPARTAN SHIELD.