LIEUTENANT COLONEL JOSHUA M. ARENS

Lieutenant Colonel Joshua M. Arens serves as Commander, Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps, Detachment 390. Detachment 390 is located at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Detachment 390 provides training to over 90 officer candidates and routinely commissions more than 12 new United States Air and Space Force Second Lieutenants each year

Lieutenant Colonel Arens was commissioned in 2005 as an AFROTC Distinguished Graduate at Brigham Young University. He has served in three different major commands as a Fighter Aircraft Maintenance Officer, Acquisition Program Manager as well as commanding armed ISR combat missions conducting time-sensitive targeting, HVI target development, and close air support. Lieutenant Colonel Arens has flown various remotely piloted aircraft combining more than 1,750 hours in the MQ-1B, MQ-9A, and RQ-4 including more than 1,400 combat and combat support hours in Operations ENDURING FREEDOM, FREEDOM’S SENTINEL, and INHERENT RESOLVE. Prior to his current assignment, Lt Col Arens commanded 183 Airmen in the 319 Operations Support Squadron providing Air Traffic Control, Airfield management, Radar Airfield Weather Systems Maintenance, Weather, Aviation Resource Management, Wing Intelligence, Tactics, and Scheduling to support flight operations of the 319th Reconnaissance Wing, United States Customs and Boarder Protection, Grand Sky, transient aircraft, and University of North Dakota pilot training.

Education

2005 Bachelor of Science in Aviation Science, Utah Valley University, Orem, Utah
2005 AFROTC, Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah (Distinguished Graduate)
2005 Air and Space Basic Course, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
2010 Squadron Officer School, Maxwell AFB, Ala. (Distinguished Graduate)
2012 Masters of Science in Aerospace Management, Embry Riddle Aeronautical University, Daytona, Fla.
2016 Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell AFB, Ala., by correspondence
2021 Air War College, Maxwell AFB,Ala., by correspondence
2022 Joint and Combined Warfighting School, Joint Forces Staff College, Norfolk, Va.
2023 Project Mercury, Air University and University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Mich.

Assignments

1. June 2005 – August 2005, student Aircraft Maintenance Basic Course, Sheppard Air Force Base (AFB), Texas
2. September 2005 – May 2006, Accessory Flight Commander, 3d Aircraft maintenance Squadron, Elmendorf AFB, Alaska
3. May 2006 – Aug 2008, Assistant OIC, 19th Aircraft Maintenance Unit, Elmendorf AFB, Alaska (September 2007-Janyary 2008, Air Operations, Joint Operations, Guantanamo Bay, Cuba)
4. September 2008 – December 2008, Agile Combat Support Strategic Planner, Headquarters Air Force Material Command Strategic Plans, Programs, Requirements and Assessments Directorate, Wright Patterson AFB, Ohio
5. January 2009 – August 2010, Special Assistant to the Commander, Commanders Action Group Headquarters Air Force Materiel Command, Wright Patterson AFB, Ohio
6. August 2010 – September 2011, student, Specialized Undergraduate Pilot Training, Columbus AFB, Miss.
7. October 2011 – March 2012, student, MQ-1 Formal Training Unit, Holloman AFB, New Mexico
8. April 2012 – May 2013, Flight Commander, MQ-1 Instructor Pilot, 15th Recon Squadron, Creech AFB, NV.
9. May 2013 – February 2015, Mission Director, 432d Wing Operations Center, 432d Air Expeditionary Wing, Creech AFB, NV. (January 2014 – April 2014, Lead RPA Liaison Officer, 609^th Combined Air Operations Center, Al Udeid, Qatar)
10. Feb 2015 – July 2016, Evaluator Pilot, 432d Air Expeditionary Wing Weapons and Tactics Plans and Operations, Creech AFB, NV.
11. July 2016 – July 2017, Director of Staff, 867 Attack Squadron and MQ-1B Instructor Pilot, 432d Air Expeditionary Wing, Creech AFB, NV.
12. July 2017 – May 2018, Director of Combat Operations, 867 Attack Squadron and MQ-1B and MQ-9A Evaluator Pilot, 432d Air Expeditionary Wing, Creech AFB, NV.
13. June 2018 – July 2020, Chief, MQ-9 Operations Branch, Headquarters Air Combat Command Persistent Attack and Reconnaissance Division, Langley AFB, VA
14. July 2020 – June 2021, Director of Staff, 319 Reconnaissance Wing and RQ-4 Pilot, Grand Forks AFB, ND.
15. June 2021 – June 2023, Commander, 319 Operations Support Squadron and RQ-4 Pilot, Grand Forks AFB, ND.
16. June 2023 – Present, Commander/Professor of Aerospace Studies, AFROTC Detachment 390 – University of Michigan, MI

Major Awards & Decorations

Effective Dates of Promotion

Second Lieutenant May 15, 2005
First Lieutenant May 15, 2007
Captain May 15, 2009
Major July 1, 2015
Lieutenant Colonel December 1, 2019