Col. Sara A. Stigler is the Vice Wing Commander of the 188th Wing, Arkansas Air National Guard, in Fort Smith, Arkansas. She is responsible for assisting the commander in maintaining the combat capability of more than 1,000 members of the 188th Wing across an array of mission sets. The Wing provides decision advantage, strike, and combat support capabilities to meet combatant commander requirements worldwide while also supporting domestic operations in times of state or national emergency.
Colonel Stigler earned her commission upon graduation from the United States Air Force Academy in May 2000. She is a career intelligence officer, having served worldwide in a variety of positions at the tactical, operational and strategic levels. She has deployed overseas in support of operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom, in which she was by-named to forward deploy in support of the 82nd Airborne Division providing time-critical intelligence to tactical airlift operations. She joined the Arkansas Air National Guard in October 2010 as an intelligence officer, deploying this time with the wing’s A-10C aircraft to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.
Prior to her current position, the colonel served as the Commander, 188th Intelligence Surveillance and Reconnaissance Group, at Ebbing ANG Base, in Fort Smith, Arkansas.
EDUCATION
2000 Bachelor of Science, History, United States Air Force Academy, Colorado Springs, Colo.
2001 Intelligence Officer Training School, Goodfellow Air Force Base, Texas
2006 Squadron Officer School, Maxwell-Gunter AFB, Ala.
2010 Master of Business Administration, Texas A&M University, College Station
2010 Certificate in Homeland Security, Texas A&M University, College Station
2015 Air Command and Staff College, Correspondence
2018 Air War College, Correspondence
ASSIGNMENTS
- August 2000–May 2001, Student, 315th Training Squadron, Goodfellow AFB, Texas
- May 2001–October 2002, Assistant Chief, Intelligence Unit Support, 43rd Operational Support Squadron, Pope AFB, N.C.
- November 2002–January 2004, Chief of Intelligence, 41st Airlift Squadron, Pope AFB, N.C.
- January 2004–February 2005, Chief of Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Operations Employment Element, 607th Intelligence Squadron, Osan Air Base, Republic of Korea
- February 2005–February 2006, Executive Officer, 607th Intelligence Group, Osan Air Base, Republic of Korea
- April 2006–November 2006, Chief, Influence Operations Branch, 12th Information Warfare Flight, Davis-Monthan AFB, Ariz.
- November 2006–September 2007, Chief of Training, 12th Information Operations Flight, Davis-Monthan AFB, Ariz.
- September 2007–October 2010, Ready Reserve, Buckley AFB, Colo.
- October 2010–September 2013. Chief, Wing Intelligence, 188th Fighter Wing, Ebbing ANGB, Ark
- October 2013–March 2017, Commander, 153rd Intelligence Squadron, Ebbing ANGB, Ark.
- March 2017–April 2018, Commander, 123rd Intelligence Squadron, Ebbing ANGB, Ark.
- April 2018–September 2021, Commander, 188th Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Group, Ebbing ANGB, Fort Smith, Ark.
- September 2021-present, Vice Commander, 188th Wing, Ebbing ANG, Fort Smith, Ark.
MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
Meritorious Service Medal with three oak leaf clusters
Air Force Commendation Medal
Joint Service Achievement Medal
Air Force Achievement Medal
(Current as of October 2021)