Col Mansour Elhihi is the commander of the 125th Fighter Wing, Jacksonville International Airport (IAP), Jacksonville, Florida— a F-35 transitioning Fighter Wing. As the Wing Commander he ensures that over 1,500 military and civilian personnel are mission ready and can effectively support the alert homeland defense and the expeditionary deployment missions with the assigned force elements. He is responsible for personnel at six installations, including Jacksonville International Airport, Camp Blanding Joint Training Center, Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, MacDill Air Force Base (AFB), Eglin AFB and Homestead Air Reserve Station. The 125th Fighter Wing conducts Air Force missions to include Air Supremacy, Offensive Space Operations, RED HORSE, Joint Communications and Battlefield Weather Support.
Col Elhihi was commissioned in 2002 as a graduate of San Jose State’s ROTC program and earned his pilot wings in 2003 as a graduate from Columbus Air Force Base, Mississippi. He has commanded at the squadron, group, and wing echelons, and has held various staff assignments including the National Guard advisor to the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense – Policy (OUSD-P) Strategy and Force development. Prior to his current assignment, Col Elhihi served as the Air National Guard (ANG) Advisor to the Commander, United States Air Forces in Europe and Air Forces Africa (COMUSAFE-AFAFRICA) at Ramstein Air Base, Germany.
Col Elhihi is a graduate of the National War College, where he received a master’s degree in National Security Strategy. In prior assignments, Col Elhihi commanded the 125th Maintenance Squadron in Jacksonville, Florida, and was the Assistant Executive Officer to the Vice Chief, National Guard Bureau at the Pentagon. Col Elhihi is a graduate and previous instructor at the USAF F-15C Weapons School and has been a member of the National Guard since 2013. Col Elhihi is a command pilot with over 2,000 hours in the F-15C/D with flying operations in the EUCOM, PACOM, NORTHCOM, and CENTCOM AORs.
EDUCATION
2001 Bachelor of Science, Aviation, San Jose State University, CA
2005 US Air Force AMRAAM School, Warfighter School, and FDL Course, Nellis AFB, NV
2006 Fighter Electronic Combat Officer Course (FECOC), Nellis AFB, NV
2008 Squadron Officer School, Air University, Maxwell AFB, AL
2009 US Air Force Weapons Instructor Course, Nellis AFB, NV
2013 Air Command and Staff College, by correspondence, Air University, Maxwell AFB, AL
2014 Masters, Military Operational Art, by correspondence, Air University, Maxwell AFB, AL
2014 Green Belt Training, McGhee Tyson, TN
2016 General Officer Executive and Handling Course, McGhee Tyson, TN
2016 Harvard Homeland Security Executive Seminar, Audit, Cambridge, MA
2016 Air War College, by correspondence, Air University, Maxwell AFB, AL
2016 Aircraft Maintenance Officer Course, Sheppard AFB, TX
2018 Air Force Combat Ammunition Center (AFCOMAC) Senior Officer Orientation Course, Beale AFB, CA
2019 Masters, National Security Strategy, National War College, National Defense University, Fort McNair, Washington D.C.
2020 Indo-Pacific Orientation Course, Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies, Hawaii
2021 Group Commanders Professional Development Course, Montgomery, Alabama
2021 Fellow, Seminar XXI - Foreign Politics, International Relations and the National Interest, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA
2022 National and International Security Seminar, Alan L. Freed Associates, Washington D.C.
2023 Air Force Enterprise Leadership Program, UNC Executive Development, Chapel Hill, NC
2024 Wing Emergency Response Course (WERC) & Wing Command Team Course, Maxwell AFB, AL
ASSIGNMENTS
1. February 2002 – March 2003, Student, Specialized Undergraduate Pilot Training, Columbus Air Force Base (AFB), MS
2. March 2003 – July 2003, Student, Introduction to Fighter Fundamentals, Moody AFB, GA
3. August 2003 – February 2004, Student, F-15C Replacement Training Unit, Klamath Falls, OR
4. March 2004 – January 2006, F-15C Instructor Pilot and Wing Dissimilar Training Officer, 60th Fighter Squadron (FS), Eglin AFB, FL
5. January 2006 – January 2009, F-15C Instructor Pilot, Chief of Training and Evaluator and F-15C Division Chief, 19th FS, Elmendorf AFB, AK
6. January 2009 – June 2009, Student, F-15C USAF Weapons Instructor Course, Nellis AFB, NV
7. June 2009 – June 2011, Weapons Officer & Flight Commander, 159th FS, Jacksonville, FL
8. June 2011 – June 2013, Instructor, Assistant Director of Operations, and Chief of Standardizations and Evaluations, F-15C USAF Weapons Instructor Course, 433 WPS, Nellis AFB, NV
9. June 2013 – May 2015, Flight Commander & F-15C Chief of Standardizations and Evaluations, 159th Fighter Wing (FW), Jacksonville, FL
10. May 2015 – June 2016, Assistant Executive Officer, Vice Chief, National Guard Bureau, Pentagon, VA
11. June 2016 – June 2018, Squadron Commander, 125th Maintenance Squadron, Jacksonville, FL
12. June 2018 – June 2019, Student, National War College, National Defense University, Fort McNair, Washington D.C.
13. June 2019 – May 2021, National Guard Advisor- OUSD-Policy; Strategy and Force Development, Pentagon, VA
14. May 2021 – May 2023, Group Commander, 125th Operations Group, Jacksonville, FL
15. May 2023 – August 2024, ANG Advisor to Commander, HQ USAFE-AFAFRICA, Ramstein AB, Germany
16. August 2024 – September 2024, Planning and Programs (A5), Joint Force Headquarters, St Augustine, Florida
17. September 2024 – Present, Wing Commander, 125th Fighter Wing, Jacksonville, FL
SUMMARY OF JOINT ASSIGNMENTS
1. June 2019 – May 2021, National Guard Advisor- Office of the Under Secretary of Defense - Policy; Strategy and Force Development, Pentagon, VA.
FLIGHT INFORMATION
Rating: Command Pilot
Flight hours: more than 2,000
Aircraft flown: T-37, T-38, F-15A-D
MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
Defense Superior Service Medal
Defense Meritorious Service Medal
Meritorious Service Medal with three oak leaf clusters
Air Force Commendation Medal two oak leaf clusters
Air Force Achievement Medal with one oak leaf cluster
AF Outstanding Unit Award with two oak leaf clusters
Combat Readiness Medal with two oak leaf clusters
National Defense Service Medal
Global War on Terrorism Service Medal
Air and Space Longevity Service with 5 oak leaf clusters
Armed Forces Reserve Medal with 1 Hourglass device
Small Arms Expert Marksmanship Ribbon with 1 Service Star
AF Training Ribbon
EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION
Second Lieutenant January 5, 2002
First Lieutenant January 5, 2004
Captain January 5, 2006
Major January 1, 2012
Lieutenant Colonel January 28, 2016
Colonel December 6, 2019
(Current as of December 2024)