Col Rebecca S. Lange

Col Rebecca Lange is the Commander, AFROTC, Detachment 105, and Chair, Department of Aerospace Studies, University of Colorado, Boulder.  As Commander, Col. Lange is responsible for developing AFROTC cadets to become the best Air Force leaders and citizens of character dedicated to serving our Nation. She commands, directs, manages, and administers a college-level training and commissioning program with 240 cadets, 5 officers, and 3 non-commissioned officers. As Chair of the Department of Aerospace Studies, she collaborates and coordinates with university leadership and faculty to ensure program and student growth and success.

After serving in the AmeriCorps National Civilian Community Corps, Col Lange entered and commissioned through AFROTC at the University of Colorado in 2000. As an intelligence officer, she has supported fighter, bomber, and rescue squadrons, and held multiple leadership positions within the global ISR and cyber enterprises. Col Lange served as a two-time Director of Operations within the 480th ISR Wing and the Commander of the 7th Intelligence Squadron. In addition to four overseas deployments supporting Operations IRAQI FREEDOM, ENDURING FREEDOM, UN Peacekeeping missions, and a remote assignment as an aide-de-camp, she served as a defense fellow in the office of U.S. Senator Bill Nelson and as a Deputy Legislative Assistant for the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

In 2020, Col Lange volunteered to lead an Air Combat Command symposium to tackle female- and family-centric barriers to readiness and established the first SWORD ATHENA. She now serves as a senior mentor to eight MAJCOM-level and Total Force Athena programs, remaining committed to eliminating barriers for servicewomen and families and earning the 2022 Air Force-level Brigadier General Vaught Visionary Leadership Award.

EDUCATION
2000 Bachelor of Arts in Political Science, University of Colorado at Boulder
2004 Squadron Officer School, Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala.
2005 Master of Public Administration, University of Oklahoma
2009 Air Command and Staff College, Air University, Correspondence
2012 National Defense Fellow, Capitol Hill, Washington, D.C.
2012 Certificate in Legislative Studies, Government Affairs Institute, Georgetown University
2015 Joint and Combined Warfighting School, Joint Forces Staff College, Norfolk, Va.
2019 Masters of Strategic Studies, Air War College, Air University, Maxwell AFB, Ala.

ASSIGNMENTS
1. June 2000–July 2001, Assistant Regional Director of Admissions, AFROTC NW Region HQ, USAFA, Colo.
2. July 2001–April 2002, Student, Intelligence Officer Basic Course, Goodfellow AFB, Texas
3. May 2002–February 2005, Chief, Mission Planning Cell, USAF Weapons School, Nellis AFB, Nev. (June 2004-September 2004, Chief of Intelligence, Joint Search and Rescue Center, Udeid AB, Qatar)
4.    February 2005–June 2006, Chief, Intel Operations, 366th Operations Support Squadron, Mountain Home AFB, Idaho (February 2006-June 2006, J2 Targets Chief, Pristina, Kosovo)
5.    July 2006–June 2007, Wing Executive Officer, 366th Fighter Wing, Mountain Home AFB, Idaho
6.    June 2007–June 2008, Aide de Camp to the Commander, Allied Air Component Command, Izmir, Turkey
7.    June 2008–July 2009, Flight Commander, 30th Intelligence Squadron, JB Langley-Eustis, Va.
8.    July 2009–October 2009, Assistant Director of Operations, 30th Intelligence Squadron, JB Langley-Eustis, Va.
9.    October 2009–April 2010, Commander, Det 1, 362d Expeditionary Reconnaissance Squadron, Camp Liberty, Iraq
10.    May 2010–January 2011, Director of Operations, 27th Intelligence Squadron, JB Langley-Eustis, Va.
11.    January 2011–July 2012, Director of Operations, 30th Intelligence Squadron, JB Langley-Eustis, Va. (February 2012-May 2012, DCGS Liaison Officer, 9 AETF-A, Kabul, Afghanistan)
12.    July 2012–December 2013, Legislative Fellow, Office of U.S. Senator Bill Nelson, Washington, D.C., with a developmental rotation in the Foreign Affairs, Defense, & Trade Division at the Congressional Research Service
13.    December 2013–July 2016, Deputy Legislative Assistant, Office of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Pentagon
14.    July 2016–June 2018, Commander, 7th Intelligence Squadron, Fort Meade, Md.
15.    July 2018–May 2019, Student, Air War College, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
16.    June 2019-July 2021, Deputy Chief, Information Warfare Division, Air Combat Command, JB Langley-Eustis, Va.
17.    July 2021-June 2022, Chief, Information Warfare Systems Division, Air Combat Command, JB Langley-Eustis, Va.
18.    June 2022-June 2024, Commander, 659th Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance Group, Ft Meade, Md.
19.    July 2024-Present, Commander, AFROTC Detachment 105, University of Colorado, Boulder, Co.

SUMMARY OF JOINT ASSIGNMENTS
1. December 2013–July 2016, Deputy Legislative Assistant, Office of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Pentagon, as a lieutenant colonel

MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
Legion of Merit
Defense Meritorious Service Medal with one oak leaf cluster
Meritorious Service Medal with two oak leaf clusters
Joint Service Commendation Medal with one oak leaf cluster
Kosovo Campaign Medal
Afghanistan Campaign Medal
Iraq Campaign Medal

OTHER ACHIEVEMENTS
2012 480th ISR Wing Lance P. Sijan Leadership Award
2014 AmeriCorps Alumni National Leadership Award
2019 Air War College, Air Force Cyber Award for Best Paper
2020 Air Combat Command Diversity and Inclusion Team Award
2022 Air Force-level Brigadier General Vaught Visionary Leadership Award
2024 Center for Strategic and International Studies, Women’s Global Leadership Program

PUBLICATIONS
“Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) Acquisition: Issues for Congress,” with Richard F. Grimmett, Congressional Research Service, September 2012
“Service Before Self: Reflections on Military and Civilian Service”, Huffington Post, November 2014
“Retention of Cyber Talent,” Air University Press, May 2019

PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIPS
Air and Space Forces Association, Lifetime Member
University of Colorado Alumni Association, Lifetime Member

(CURRENT AS OF JULY 2024)