Brig. Gen. Todd D. Canterbury is the Commander, 56th Fighter Wing, Luke Air Force Base, Arizona. The wing's mission is to train fighter pilots and combat ready Airmen. As part of Air Education and Training Command, and home to 28 squadrons with both F-16 and F-35A Lightning II aircraft, the 56th FW is the largest fighter wing in the Air Force and graduates more than 90 F-35 pilots, 150 F-16 pilots and 300 air control professionals annually. The 56th FW oversees the Gila Bend Air Force Auxiliary Field and is steward of the Barry M. Goldwater Range, a military training range spanning more than 1.7 million acres of Sonoran desert.
Brig. Gen. Canterbury entered the Air Force in May 1993 after graduating from Arizona State University ROTC in 1992 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Aeronautical Engineering Technology. The general’s assignments have been a mix of operational and training assignments. As an operational F-15E and MC-12 pilot he has logged over 650 combat hours and has participated in operations Northern Watch and Enduring Freedom. He has served as a Weapons School Instructor, Thunderbird Demonstration Pilot, fighter squadron Commander and wing Commander. His most recent assignment was as the Director of the F-35 Integration Office, Headquarters Air Force, Pentagon, Arlington, Virginia. He is a graduate of the National War College and a Command Pilot with more than 4,200 hours in the F-35A, F-15E, F-16 and MC-12W aircraft.
EDUCATION
1992 Bachelor of Science, Aeronautical Engineering Technology, Arizona State University, Tempe
1999 Weapons Instructor Course, Distinguished Graduate, Nellis Air Force Base, Nev.
1999 Squadron Officer School, Distinguished Graduate, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
2001 Master’s, Aeronautical Science – Aeronautics Specialization, Embry Riddle Aeronautical University, Daytona Beach, Fla.
2006 Master of Military Operational Art and Science, Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
2006 Air War College, Maxwell AFB, Ala., by correspondence
2010 Master’s, National Strategic Studies, National War College, Fort Lesley J McNair, Washington, D.C.
2012 Executive Leadership Development Program, Center for Creative Leadership, Greensboro, N.C.
2014 Air Force Enterprise Leadership Seminar, Kenan-Flagler Business School, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
2015 Senior Executives in National Security Program, Harvard Kennedy School of Government, Cambridge, Mass.
ASSIGNMENTS
1. May 1993 – September 1994, Student, Undergraduate Pilot Training, Vance Air Force Base, Okla.
2. September 1994 – December 1994, Student, Introduction to Fighter Fundamentals, Columbus AFB, Miss.
3. January 1995 – August 1995, Student, F-15E Fighter Training Unit, Seymour Johnson AFB, N.C.
4. August 1995 – August 1997, Navigation Officer and Weapons Officer, 492nd Fighter Squadron, RAF Lakenheath, U.K.
5. August 1997 – February 2000, Weapons Officer and Standardization / Evaluation Officer, 90th FS, Elmendorf AFB, Alaska
6. February 2000 – August 2001, Flight Commander, U.S. Air Force Weapons School, Nellis AFB, Nev.
7. August 2001 – October 2001, Student, F-16 Track 4 Transition Course, Luke AFB, Ariz.
8. October 2001 – July 2005, U.S. Air Force Thunderbird Demonstration Pilot, Nellis AFB, Nev.
9. July 2005 – June 2006, Student, Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
10. July 2006 – September 2006, Student F-15E Track 2 Transition Course, Seymour Johnson AFB, N.C.
11. September 2006 – May 2007, Director of Operations, 336th FS, Seymour Johnson AFB, N.C.
12. June 2007 – June 2009, Commander, 334th FS, Seymour Johnson AFB, N.C.
13. August 2009 – June 2010, Student, National War College, Fort Lesley J McNair, Washington, D.C.
14. August 2010 – July 2011, Vice Wing Commander, 455th Air Expeditionary Wing, Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan
15. July 2011 – April 2013, Executive Officer, Deputy Commander, United States Forces Korea, Yong Son, Korea
16. June 2013 – June 2015, Commander, 33d Fighter Wing, Eglin AFB, Fla.
17. June 2015 – May 2017, Chief, Operations Division, F-35 Integration Office, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, the Pentagon, Arlington, Va.
18. May 2017 – June 2018, Director, F-35 Integration Office, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, the Pentagon, Arlington, Va.
19. June 2018 – present, Commander, 56th FW, Luke AFB, Ariz.
SUMMARY OF JOINT ASSIGNMENTS
1. July 2011 – April 2013, Executive Officer, Deputy Commander, United States Forces Korea, Yong Son, Korea, as a colonel
FLIGHT INFORMATION
Rating: command pilot
Flight hours: more than 4,200 including more than 650 combat hours
Aircraft flown: F-35A, F-15E, F-16, T-37, T-38, MC-12W
MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATION
Defense Superior Service Medal
Legion of Merit with oak leaf cluster
Bronze Star Medal
Meritorious Service Medal with two oak leaf clusters
Air Medal with silver oak leaf cluster
Aerial Achievement Medal
Air Force Commendation Medal with oak leaf cluster
Combat Readiness Medal
National Defense Service Medal
Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal
Afghanistan Campaign Medal
Global War on Terrorism Service Medal
Korean Defense Service Medal
Humanitarian Service Medal
Nuclear Deterrence Operations Service Medal
NATO Medal
EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION
Second Lieutenant May 8, 1992
First Lieutenant May 8, 1994
Captain Nov. 1, 1996
Major May 1, 2003
Lieutenant Colonel Dec. 1, 2006
Colonel Oct. 1, 2010
Brigadier General Aug. 2, 2017
(Current as of July 2019)