MAXWELL AIR FORCE BASE, Ala. --
Lieutenant Colonel Matthew E. Tipton assumed the role of Director of Air Force Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps, Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama, on June 14, 2024. As the head of one of the largest and most diverse organizations in the Department of Defense, Tipton oversees approximately 85,000 eighth grade and high school students with nearly 1,600 retired officer and senior non-commissioned officer instructors at more than 830 high schools in the United States, Europe and Asia.
Tipton succeeds Colonel Johnny McGonigal, who recently retired after 30 years of military service.
Tipton was commissioned through ROTC at the University of Alabama in 2003. His career includes operational assignments as an electronic warfare officer in the EC-130H Compass Call. He is a master navigator with more than 1,120 flight hours, including more than 557 combat hours. The EC-130H is an airborne jamming platform that disrupts enemy command and control communications and limits adversary coordination essential for enemy force management.
Tipton also served as a Political Advisor to the 65th Air Base Group, Lajes Field, Portugal, and as a Military Advisor to the Office of Security and Human Rights at the U.S. Department of State. He commanded the 362nd Recruiting Squadron at March Air Reserve Base, California. In his most recent assignment, Tipton was the Deputy Director for Strategy and Concepts at the LeMay Center for Doctrine Development and Education at Maxwell Air Force Base.
As the Director, Tipton leads the headquarters staff and oversees policy implementation for the world’s largest and most comprehensive aerospace science education program. He expressed his excitement to take on the new role. “And even now, as I'm learning the job on a daily basis, I’m amazed at the impact the organization has. I like to say this is a strategic program. And what I mean by that is we're making a long-term investment in the nation.”
We're building a strong society, and we're doing it one cadet at a time.Lt. Col. Matthew Tipton
A history of military service runs deep in the Tipton family. His grandfathers both served in World War II, and his father and an uncle served in the Tennessee Air National Guard. Growing up in the small farming community of Maryville, Tennessee, Tipton developed a strong work ethic. “Summertime, we spent a lot of time shucking corn, picking beans … all the good stuff. We were up early, and in his words, there was no such thing as too much corn. We always had plenty to plant and plenty to harvest.”
For Tipton, the idea of flying offered adventure and an opportunity to expand his small-town horizons. His aviation interest, joined with a strong desire to serve his country, led him to the Air Force ROTC program, first at Marion Military Institute, and later, at the University of Alabama. “Our detachment commanders at the time, both of those individuals were phenomenal officers, along with two great non-commissioned officers. I would like to think that I've paid them back by hopefully, paying it forward with the Airmen I've been fortunate enough to lead over the last 20 years.”
Tipton indicated his previous assignments have helped prepare him for the scope of this new role. Serving as a flying training squadron director of operations provided lessons about how to manage multiple, simultaneous projects. “That was a great experience. I think all aviators want to lead at some level in their community. You're running the daily schedule, you're coordinating maintenance on aircraft, assessing availability, or if there's a delay or an issue. You're working with the crews to make sure they get out the door and get the training accomplished. We're also looking at student production. We're looking at instructor manning. Just all those aspects that go into training individuals, which will keep you busy. You're handling the daily grind of the unit, so the commander's freed up to worry about bigger picture items.”
More recently, Tipton commanded the 362nd Recruiting Squadron at March Air Reserve Base, where the challenge of balancing mission requirements with taking care of the unit’s people was paramount to his success. “Being a squadron commander, having the opportunity to not only lead airmen, but to be there and share with them the best and the worst moments. Calling people and telling them, ‘Hey, congratulations, you've been selected for promotion!’” was great, but as a squadron commander during the pandemic, personnel challenges, such as helping single parents deal with childcare issues, presented opportunities to develop unique, creative solutions. "You're trying to figure out how to make the job and life work at an unprecedented time,” he said.
Though relatively new to the Air Force Junior ROTC job, Tipton has already taken the opportunity to visit with cadets and instructors. When asked what impressed him most, he said, “The incredible level of professionalism by our instructor corps. I mean, these are individuals who've already given, in most cases, a minimum of 20 years of their life in service to their country. And now they're continuing to give to their country, post-retirement, and that is an incredible testament to them.” He elaborated, “They have the attitude and the perseverance to get the job done. And most importantly, they're putting the cadets first.”
He is equally impressed by the cadets he has met. “You know, yesterday we got to go to Prattville High School and watch a young lady drill a flight of cadets. She clearly has found her command voice and has presence, unashamedly. I would like to think we've helped her, you know, just find that within herself and given her that strength to have that voice. We're building a strong society, and we're doing it one cadet at a time.”
One of Tipton’s initial goals is to establish a strong headquarters presence in the field. “We have to be out and about. With the onboarding of the 30 regional directors and the congressional mandate that we're going to do 100% inspections of units this year, certainly, the headquarters is going to be out. But we need to be seen. We need to be at major events. For example, we’re going down this week to a winging ceremony for three individuals who have completed their private pilot certificate. That's a significant moment in their life up to this point. And if we can be a part of those things, I think that's important. It shows that we are invested in it as an organization and invested in them.”
The mission of AFJROTC is to ‘develop citizens of character.’ AFJROTC is not an Air Force or Space Force accessions program, and cadets are never under any obligation to join the military. AFJROTC is a Title 10 U.S. Code mandated citizenship training program that is designed to educate and train high school cadets in citizenship, promote community service, and instill personal responsibility, character and self-discipline. For more information go to the AFJROTC website.