Col. Michael J. Shreves currently serves as the Commander of the 27th Special Operations Group providing combat ready forces to joint force commanders around the world. The over 1,500 Airmen of the 27th Special Operations Group perform a variety of specialized airpower missions including precision strike, ISR, battlefield mobility, helicopter aerial refueling, and other specialized combat support missions. The 27th Special Operations Group directs the training and readiness for ten squadrons operating various special operations aircraft including the CV-22 Osprey, AC-130J Ghostrider, MC-130J Commando II, MQ-9 Reaper, and U-28 Draco.
Prior to this assignment, Col. Shreves was the Resolute Support Mission Liaison to United States Embassy, Kabul, Afghanistan. In this capacity he served as a member of the Country Team, advising the Chief of Mission on military priorities and assisting in synchronizing diplomatic and military strategy to facilitate a whole-of government resolution to the Afghanistan war. In addition he was the focal point for coordination between Resolute Support, United States Forces, Afghanistan and embassy interagency staffs and managed a 970 thousand dollar interagency budget.
A native of Michigan, Col. Shreves received his commission and entered the Air Force through Detachment 390, the University of Michigan Reserve Officer Training Corps in 1998. After earning his wings in 2000 at Columbus Air Force Base, Mississippi he completed an Operational Support Airlift tour at Ramstein Air Base, Germany, in the C-12A Learjet. He joined the Air Commando ranks in 2004 when he transitioned to Air Force Special Operations Command as an AC-130U Spooky gunship pilot at Hurlburt Field, Florida. He is a Command Pilot with over 3,900 flight hours, including more than 1,500 combat hours in the Balkans, Iraq and Afghanistan.
EDUCATION
1998 Bachelor of Science degree in Education, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI
2003 Squadron Officer’s School, Maxwell AFB, AL
2009 United States Air Force Air Command and Staff College, Correspondence
2010 Master of Science degree in Military Operational Art and Science, Air University, AL
2012 United States Army Command and General Staff School, Fort Leavenworth, KS
2015 United States Air Force Air War College, Correspondence
2019 Master of Science in Strategic Studies, United States Army War College, Carlisle Barracks, PA
ASSIGNMENTS
1. June 1998 – June 1999, Distributed Mission Training Project Officer, Aeronautical Systems Center, Wright-Patterson AFB, OH
2. June 1999 – July 2000, Student, Specialized Undergraduate Pilot Training, Columbus AFB, MS
3. October 2000 – February 2004, Training Officer, Executive Officer, Wing Current Operations Officer, C-21A Instructor Pilot, and Evaluator Pilot, 76th Airlift Squadron, Ramstein AB, Germany
4. March 2004 – May 2004, C-130E Pilot Initial Qualification Training, 62nd Airlift Squadron, Little Rock AFB, AR
5. May 2004 – March 2005, AC-130U Pilot Initial Qualification Training, 19th Special Operations Squadron, Hurlburt Field, FL
6. March 2005 – September 2010, Chief Pilot and AC-130U Instructor Pilot, 4th Special Operations Squadron, Hurlburt Field, FL
7. September 2010 – June 2011, Assistant Operations Officer, AC-130U Instructor Pilot, 1st Special Operations Support Squadron, Hurlburt Field, FL
8. June 2011 – June 2012, Student, Intermediate Developmental Education, US Army Command and General Staff School, Fort Leavenworth, KS
9. June 2012 – July 2014, Deputy Joint Air Operations Center Director, Director J3 Exercises, Aviation Tactics Evaluation Group (USSOCOM), Fort Bragg, NC
10. July 2014 – June 2018, Operations Officer then Commander, 551 Special Operations Squadron, Cannon AFB, NM
11. June 2018 – June 2019, Student, Senior Developmental Education, US Army War College, Carlisle Barracks, PA
12. July 2019 – April 2021, Chief, Special Operations Support Team, US Agency for International Development, Washington D.C.
13. February 2020 – February 2021, Resolute Support Mission Liaison to US Embassy Kabul, Afghanistan
14. May 2021 – Present, Commander, 27th Special Operations Group, Cannon AFB, NM
FLIGHT INFORMATION
Rating: Command Pilot
Flight Hours: 3,909 hours (1,552 Combat)
Aircraft Flown: T-37, T-1A, C-21A, C-130E, AC-130U, and AC-130W
MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
Bronze Star Medal
Defense Meritorious Service Medal Meritorious Service Medal with oak leaf cluster
Air Medal with eleven oak leaf clusters
Aerial Achievement Medal
Air Force Commendation Medal with oak leaf cluster
Air Force Combat Action Medal