Colonel Keith Blount serves as the Deputy Commander of the 137th Special Operations Wing, Will Rogers Air National Guard Base, Oklahoma City, Okla. The 137 SOW is a U.S. Air Force flying wing aligned under the Air National Guard with an enduring deployment/operational reserve construct. The wing provides manned Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance support for Air Force Special Operations Command and provides Agile Combat Support in Acquisition, Engineering, Communications, Security, Cyberspace, Logistics and Manpower. The 137 SOW is comprised of three groups, including 14 squadrons and flights and 10 staff offices with more that 1,200 personnel.
Col Blount directs, trains, equips and maintains a diverse military force capable of short notice, world-wide deployments in response to Department of Defense approved war plans and contingencies and disaster relief as a multi-mission air wing.
Col Blount received a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Texas at Arlington in August 2001 and entered the Air Force through Officer Training School August 2002. He completed Joint Undergraduate Navigator Training at Randolph AFB March 2004 and since then has served in a variety of operational assignments including nine deployments to Kuwait, Qatar, UAE, Djibouti, Romania and Colombia as a navigator and Liaison Officer for the E-3 and EC-130 and an MC-12W Sensor Operator. He has commanded at the squadron and group level.
Prior to his current position, Colonel Blount was the Commander of the 137th Special Operations Group, Will Rogers Air National Guard Base, Oklahoma City, Okla. Colonel Blount is a master navigator with more than 2,500 flying hours, including more than 1300 combat hours.
EDUCATION
2001 Bachelor of Arts, University of Texas at Arlington, Arlington, Texas
2004 Joint Undergraduate Navigator Training, Randolph Air Force Base, Texas 2004 Combat Survival Training Course, Fairchild Air Force Base, Wash.
2009 Squadron Officer School, Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala.
2013 Aircraft Mishap Investigation Course, Kirtland Air Force Base, N.M. 2013 Nuclear Surety Inspector Course, Incirlik Air Base, Turkey
2018 Air Command and Staff College, by correspondence
2019 Master’s Degree, Business Administration and Management, Liberty University, Va. 2022 Air War College, by correspondence
ASSIGNMENTS
1. November 2002 – March 2003, Student, Joint Specialized Undergraduate Navigator Training, Randolph AFB, Texas
2. June 2004 – June 2008, Ground Training, Flight Scheduling, Current Operations and Flight Commander, 43d Electronic Combat Squadron, 755th Operations Support Squadron, Davis Monthan AFB, Ariz. (March 2005-June 2005, EC-130H Navigator, Ali Al Salem AB, Kuwait; December 2005-April 2006, EC-130H Liaison Officer, Combined Air Operations Center, Al Udeid AB, Qatar; December 2006-April 2007, EC-130H Navigator, Ali Al Salem AB, Kuwait; February 2008-May 2008, EC-130H Navigator, Ali Al Salem AB, Kuwait)
3. June 2008 – June 2012, Deputy Chief Squadron Standards and Evaluation, Requirements E-3 Aircraft Systems Branch, 552nd Operations Support Squadron, Tinker AFB, Okla. (May 2009-September 2009, E-3 Navigator, Al Dhafra AB, United Arab Emirates; August 2010-December 2010, E-3 Liaison Officer, Combined Air Operations Center, Al Udeid AB, Qatar)
4. June 2012 – July 2014, Deputy Chief Wing Plans and Readiness, Wing Director of Inspections, 39th Air Base Wing, Incirlik AB, Turkey
5. July 2014 – August 2016, E-3 Deployment Planner, 552d Operations Support Squadron, Tinker AFB, Okla.
6. August 2016 – December 2018, Chief Squadron Scheduling, Assistant Director of Operations, 185th Special Operations Squadron, Will Rogers Air National Guard Base, Okla. (October 2017-February 2018, Director of Operations and Sensor Operator, 185th Expeditionary Special Operations Squadron, Camp Lemonnier, Djibouti; October 2018- December 2018, Director of Operations, 185 ESOS, Mihail Kogalniceanu AB, Romania)
7. December 2018 – February 2020, Director of Operations, 185th Special Operations Squadron, Will Rogers ANGB, Okla.
8. February 2020 – August 2021, Commander, 137th Special Operations Support Squadron, Will Rogers ANGB, Okla. (October 2020-December 2020, Sensor Operator, 185 ESOS, Apiay AB, Colombia)
9. August 2021 – May 2023, Deputy Commander, 137th Special Operations Group, Will Rogers ANGB, Okla.
10. May 2023 – April 2024, Commander, 137th Special Operations Group, Will Rogers ANGB, Okla.
11. April 2024 – Present, Deputy Commander, 137th Special Operations Wing, Will Rogers ANGB, Okla.
FLIGHT INFORMATION
Rating: Master Navigator
Flight hours: more than 2500, including more than 1300 combat hours Aircraft flown: EC-130H, E-3, and MC-12W
MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
Meritorious Service Medal with two oak leaf clusters Air Medal with seven oak leaf clusters
Aerial Achievement Medal with one oak leaf cluster
Air and Space Commendation Medal with one oak leaf cluster
EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION
Second Lieutenant November 8, 2002
First Lieutenant November 8, 2004
Captain November 8, 2006
Major December 4, 2012
Lieutenant Colonel September 26, 2019
Colonel July 27, 2023
(CURRENT AS OF April 2024)