Colonel Christopher D. Boyd

Lodging Guest Directory Binder - Biography Colonel Christopher D. Boyd

Colonel Chris Boyd is the Commander, 65th Air Base Group, Lajes Field, Azores, Portugal. The Group is composed of four squadrons supporting combatant commanders worldwide. He leads over 1,200 men and women at two installations, Lajes Field, Portugal and Morón Air Base, Spain, managing resources valued at $1.8 billion. The Group provides power projection platforms for US and Allied air operations by maintaining combat support and global command and control capabilities. Additionally, Colonel Boyd serves as the installation commander for US Forces at Lajes Field, fulfilling the duties of the Commander, US Forces Azores in accordance with US and Portuguese bilateral agreements.

 Colonel Boyd was born in Dallas, Texas. He entered the Air Force in 2000 after earning his bachelor’s degree in business at the University of North Texas. Along with assignments in Washington, California, and Virginia, he has served overseas in Portugal, Japan, the United Kingdom, Germany, and he has deployed to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. He’s served in a variety of Financial Management leadership positions at the Wing, Major Command and Headquarters Air Force levels, as well as a Maintenance Officer during a career broadening tour at the Wing level. Colonel Boyd is also a European Foreign Area Officer, and served as the Air Attaché at the US Embassy in Bucharest, Romania. Prior to his current assignment, Colonel Boyd served as the Financial Management Analysis Division Chief, Headquarters United States Air Forces in Europe-Air Forces Africa at Ramstein Air Base where he executed the command’s $1.6 billion annual budget, developing resourcing strategies and priorities to support air component operations across the European and African theaters.

Education

  • 2000 Bachelor of Business Administration in finance, University of North Texas, Denton, Texas
  • 2003 Master of Business Administration, Webster University, St. Louis, Missouri
  • 2005 Squadron Officer School, Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama
  • 2011 Master of Art in Strategic Studies – South Asia, Naval Postgraduate School, Monterey, California
  • 2011 Pashto Basic Course, Defense Language Institute, Monterey, California
  • 2011 Air Command and Staff College (correspondence)
  • 2016 Air War College (correspondence)
  • 2021 Marine Corps War College, Marine Corps University, Quantico, Virginia

Assignments

  1. July 2000 – June 2005, Financial Services Officer, 92d Comptroller Squadron, Fairchild Air Force Base, Washington
  2. July 2003 – June 2005, Financial Analysis Flight Commander, 65th Comptroller Squadron, Lajes Field, Azores, Portugal
  3. July 2005 – October 2005, Student, Aircraft Maintenance Officer Course, Sheppard Air Force Base, Texas
  4.  November 2005 – September 2008, Aircraft Maintenance Unit Officer in Charge, 374th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, Yokota Air Base, Japan
  5. October 2008 – October 2011, Student, Naval Postgraduate School, Monterey, California
  6. November 2011 – May 2013, Student, Defense Language Institute & Joint Military Attaché School, Washington D.C.
  7. June 2013 – June 2016, Air Attaché, Bucharest, Romania
  8. July 2016 – July 2018, Commander, 100th Comptroller Squadron, RAF Mildenhall, England
  9. August 2018 – June 2019, Senior Military Assistant, Financial Operations Directorate, Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Air Force, Financial Management and Comptroller, Washington D.C.
  10. July 2019 – June 2020, Senior Military Assistant, Defense Finance and Accounting Service, Alexandria, Virginia
  11. July 2020 – June 2021, Student, Marine Corps War College, Quantico, Virginia
  12. July 2021 – July 2023, Chief, Financial Analysis Division, Ramstein Air Base, Germany
  13. August 2023 – present, Commander, 65th Air Base Group, Lajes Field, Azores, Portugal

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
  • Air Force Commendation Medal with one oak leaf clusters

Effective Dates of Promotion

  • Second Lieutenant June 12, 2000
  • First Lieutenant June 12, 2002
  • Captain June 12, 2004
  • Major May 1, 2010
  • Lieutenant Colonel September 1, 2015
  • Colonel April 1, 2021

(Current as of August 2023)