Colonel Charles D. Barkhurst is the Vice Commander of the 88th Air Base Wing at Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio. The 88th Air Base Wing is the largest air base wing in the Air Force with more than 5,000 officers and enlisted Airmen, Air Force civilians and contractor employees. The wing provides support and services to the largest, most diverse, and most organizationally complex base in the Air Force including a major acquisition center, research and development laboratories, a major command headquarters, an airlift wing, and the world's largest military air museum. The base is home to more than 30,000 military, government civilian, and contractor employees and associate units.
Colonel Barkhurst was commissioned in 1998 through the Reserve Officer Training Corps, University of Texas at San Antonio. His previous experience includes a variety of financial management positions at the wing, center, numbered air force, major command, combatant command and Air Force levels. He has also deployed in support of NATO operations in Bosnia and humanitarian missions in Sri Lanka. His command tours include Comptroller Squadron command at RAF Mildenhall, United Kingdom and Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska.
Prior to assuming his current position, Colonel Barkhurst was the Senior Military Assistant to the OSD Comptroller, Office of the Secretary of Defense, Pentagon, Washington, District of Columbia.
EDUCATION:
1995 Bachelor of Science, Accounting, University of Texas at San Antonio
1998 Master of Business Administration, University of Texas at San Antonio
2003 Financial Management Staff Officer Course, Sheppard AFB, TX
2003 Squadron Officer School, Maxwell AFB, AL
2009 Defense Financial Management and Comptroller School, Maxwell AFB, AL
2012 Masters of Arts degree in Military Operational Art, Air Command & Staff College, Maxwell AFB, AL
2014 Air War College by correspondence
2019 Master's in National Resource Strategy, Eisenhower School, Fort McNair, Washington, D.C.
ASSIGNMENTS:
Jul 1998 – Mar 2001, Deputy, Financial Services Officer and later Budget Analyst, FM Directorate, Ogden Air Logistics Center, Hill AFB, UT
Apr 2001 - Jul 2003, Financial Management Analyst, and later Chief, Cost Analysis Branch, Logistics Directorate, Standard Systems Group, Maxwell AFB Gunter Annex, AL
Jul 2003 - Jun 2004, Chief, Resource Management, Air War College, Maxwell AFB, AL
Jul 2004 - Jun 2005, Commander, Financial Analysis Flight, 18 CPTS, Kadena AB, Japan
Jun 2005 - Dec 2006, Executive Officer to the Wing Commander, 18 Wing, Kadena AB, Japan
Jan 2007 - Jul 2009, Requirements Analyst, J-8, U.S. Joint Forces Command, Norfolk, VA
Jul 2009 - Jan 2011, Chief, Budget Integration, FM Directorate, HQ USAFE, Ramstein AB, Germany
Jan 2011 - Jul 2011, Director, Financial Management, 3rd Air Force, Ramstein AB, Germany
Aug 2011 - Jun 2012, Student, Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell AFB, AL
Jun 2012 - Jun 2014, Commander, 100th Comptroller Squadron, RAF Mildenhall, United Kingdom
Jul 2014 - Jul 2016, Commander, 673d Comptroller Squadron, Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, AK
Jul 2017 - Oct 2017, Dep. Chief, Budget Operations Div., Budget Operations Directorate, Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Financial Management & Comptroller, Pentagon, Washington, D.C
Oct 2017 - July 2018, Military Assistant, Secretary of the Air Force, SAF/MG, Pentagon, Washington, D.C.
Aug 2018 - Jun 2019, Student, The Eisenhower School, Fort McNair, Washington, D.C.
Jun 2019 - Jun 2021, Senior Military Assistant to the OSD Comptroller, Office of the Secretary of Defense, Pentagon, Washington, D.C.
Jun 2021 - Present – Vice Commander, 88th Air Base Wing, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio
JOINT ASSIGNMENTS:
1. Jan 2007 – Jul 2009, Requirements Analyst, J-8, U.S. Joint Forces Command, Norfolk, VA
2. Jun 2019 – Jun 2021, Senior Military Assistant to the OSD Comptroller, Office of the Secretary of Defense, Pentagon, Washington, D.C.
MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS:
Defense Superior Service Medal
Defense Meritorious Service Medal
Meritorious Service Medal with five oak leaf clusters
Joint Service Commendation Medal
Air Force Commendation Medal with two oak leaf clusters
OTHER ACHIEVEMENTS:
2004 Company Grade Officer of the Year, Air War College
2012 USAFE Financial Services Office of the Year Award
2012 USAFE Maj Gen Alfred K. Flowers Comptroller Squadron of the Year Award
2015 PACAF Financial Analysis Office of the Year Award
2015 PACAF Maj Gen Frank R. Faykes Financial Management and Comptroller of the Year Award
2015 Air Force Maj Gen Frank R. Faykes FM and Comptroller of the Year Award – Runner Up
EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION:
Second Lieutenant 14 Jun 1998
First Lieutenant 14 Jun 2000
Captain 14 Jun 2002
Major 01 Apr 2008
Lieutenant Colonel 01 Aug 2013
Colonel 01 Sep 2019
PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIPS, CERTIFICATIONS AND AFFILIATIONS:
Certificate of Acquisition Professional Development in Business, Cost & Financial Management – Level II Certified Defense Financial Manager
DoD Financial Management Certification – Level 3
(Current as of July 2021)