Colonel Isaac Adams is the Commander, 39th Air Base Wing, Incirlik Air Base, Türkiye. As the Commander, Colonel Adams is responsible for approximately 3,500 U.S. military, civilian, and contractor personnel along with the combat readiness of U.S. Air Force units on Incirlik AB and at two geographically separated units in Türkiye. He is also responsible for Base Operations Support Integration activities for Türkiye-based joint and combined combat forces in the region.
Colonel Adams commissioned from the United States Air Force Academy in 2001. His career includes multiple operational and staff positions around the globe, along with numerous deployments. He has commanded at the Group and Squadron level, served as the Chief Speechwriter to the Secretary of the Air Force, as both the Chief of the Air Mobility Division and Director of Mobility Forces within U.S. Air Forces Central, and as U.S. Transportation Command’s Liaison to Joint Task Force 406 while embarked aboard the USS Mount Whitney. Most recently Colonel Adams was the Chief of the Global Mobility Division and Chair of the Rapid Global Mobility, Special Operations Forces, and Medical Panels in Headquarters Air Force’s Plans and Programs office where he led a hand-selected team in the development and analysis of the U.S. Air Force’s $1.7 trillion future years budget and directly oversaw more than $45 billion.
Colonel Adams is a Command Pilot and USAF Weapons Officer with more than 4,600 flight hours, including over 1,100 in combat.
EDUCATION
2001 Bachelor of Science in History, United States Air Force Academy, Colorado Springs, CO
2008 Squadron Officer School (Top Third Graduate), Maxwell Air Force Base, AL
2008 Master of Aeronautical Science (with Distinction), Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Daytona Beach, FL
2010 USAF Weapons Instructor Course, Nellis AFB, NV
2010 Air Command & Staff College (Correspondence), Air University, Maxwell AFB, AL
2016 Air War College (Correspondence), Air University, Maxwell AFB, AL
2022 Air War College & Master of Strategic Studies, Air University, Maxwell AFB, AL
ASSIGNMENTS
1. May 2001-May 2002, Scheduler & Airspace Officer, 34th Operations Support Squadron, USAFA, CO
2. May 2002-June 2002, Student, Joint Specialized Undergraduate Pilot Training, 47th Flying Training Wing, Laughlin AFB, TX
3. November 2002-October 2007, C-17A Instructor Pilot, Tactics Officer, Executive Officer, & Training Assistant Flight Commander, 16th Airlift Squadron, Charleston AFB, SC
4. October 2007-April 2011, C-17A Formal Training Unit Instructor Pilot, Squadron Weapons Officer, Group Resource Advisor, Tactics Flight Commander, & Chief of Wing Combat Tactics, 97th Air Mobility Wing, Altus AFB, OK
5. April 2011-Feburary 2014, C-17A Evaluator Pilot, Wing Weapons Officer, Training Flight Commander, Squadron Chief of Standardization and Evaluations, & Chief of Wing Tactics, 437th Airlift Wing, Joint Base Charleston, SC
6. March 2014-June 2016, Director of Staff, Chief of the Airlift Control Team, and Chief of Airlift Plans, 603rd Air Operations Center, Ramstein AB, Germany
7. June 2016-June 2017, Deputy Chief, Commander’s Action Group, United States Air Forces in Europe and United States Air Forces Africa, Ramstein AB, Germany
8. June 2017-June 2018, Director of Operations, 313th Expeditionary Operations Support Squadron, Ramstein AB, Germany
9. June 2018-June 2019, Commander, 728th Air Mobility Squadron, Incirlik AB, Türkiye
10. June 2019-July 2021, Chief Speechwriter to the Secretary of the Air Force and Communications Team Chief, Executive Action Group, Headquarters Air Force, the Pentagon
11. July 2021-July 2022, Student, Air War College, Maxwell AFB, AL
12. July 2022-June 2023, Chief, Air Mobility Division, 609th Air Operations Center and U.S. Air Forces Central’s Director of Mobility Forces, Shaw AFB, SC
13. July 2023-July 2025, Commander, 721st Air Mobility Operations Group, Ramstein AB, Germany
14. July 2025-July 2026, Division Chief, Global Mobility and Chair, Rapid Global Mobility, Special Operations Forces, and Medical Panel, Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff for Plans and Programs, Headquarters Air Force, the Pentagon
15. July 2025-Present, Commander, 39th Air Base Wing, Incirlik AB, Türkiye
SUMMARY OF JOINT ASSIGNMENTS
1. July 2022-June 2023, Chief, Air Mobility Division, 609th Air Operations Center and U.S. Air Forces Central’s Director of Mobility Forces, Shaw AFB, SC, as a colonel.
2. July 2023-July 2025, Commander, 721st Air Mobility Operations Group, Ramstein AB, Germany and U.S. Transportation Command’s Liaison Officer to Joint Task Force-406, embarked aboard the USS Mount Whitney, as a colonel.
FLIGHT INFORMATION
Rating: Command Pilot
Flight hours: Over 4,600 with more than 1,100 in combat
Aircraft Flown: C-17A, KC-135R, T-37B, T-1A
MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
Legion of Merit
Defense Meritorious Service Medal
Meritorious Service Medal with seven oak leaf clusters
Air Medal with seven oak leaf clusters
Aerial Achievement Medal
Air and Space Commendation Medal with one oak leaf cluster
Air and Space Achievement Medal with one oak leaf cluster
EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION
Second Lieutenant May 30, 2001
First Lieutenant May 30, 2003
Captain May 30, 2005
Major April 1, 2011
Lieutenant Colonel June 1, 2016
Colonel June 1, 2022
(Current as of July 2026)