Colonel Nathan D. Bump is the Deputy Commander, 86th Airlift Wing, Ramstein Air Base, Germany. As the installation host, the 86 AW supports the headquarters for U.S. Air Forces in Europe-Air Forces Africa, Third Air Force, three tenant wings, and more than 120 mission partners, to include the integration of and caring for the greater Kaiserslautern Military Community and its 56,000 U.S. service members and families. As the 86 AW Deputy Commander, he is second-in-command of a wing comprised of seven groups and 30 squadrons across four installations in Germany, Spain, Belgium, and Portugal. The 86 AW’s mission is to project power and create community. The wing conducts USAFE-AFAFRICA’s only airlift, airdrop, and aeromedical evacuation flying operations, providing rapid global mobility and expeditionary combat support for military operations.
Prior to this position, Colonel Bump was the Chief of the Strategic Competition Division within Air Force Futures (A5/7). He was responsible for a team of 18 officer and civilian strategy professionals developing long-term strategic competition options for Service, Joint, and DoD senior leaders. The Division provided strategic advice and planning to inform budgetary priorities in key mission areas while enabling a comparative advantage to achieve enhanced deterrence for the U.S., Allies, and Partner nations.
Born and raised in Chowchilla, California, Colonel Bump entered the Air Force in 2002 as a graduate of the US Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colorado. He has completed multiple combat tours in operations over the Horn of Africa, Iraq, and Afghanistan. He has had four assignments in the Mobility Air Forces serving in a variety of command, leadership, flying, and staff positions. In 2014, Colonel Bump served as an Air Command and Staff College (ACSC) exchange officer with the Brazilian Air Force completing International Officer Development Education earning his certification as a Southern Command Foreign Area Officer (FAO). As a FAO, he served at the Pentagon on both Headquarters Air Force and the Joint Staff developing political-military policy for the Western Hemisphere and Europe.
Colonel Bump is a command pilot previously qualified as a C-21A Instructor and a C-17A Evaluator Pilot with over 3,400 flying hours including over 800 combat and combat support hours.
EDUCATION
2002 Bachelor of Science in Management, United States Air Force Academy, Colorado
2006 Master of Business Administration, Trident University, Cypress, California
2008 Squadron Officer School, Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama
2009 Associate of Arts, Portuguese - Defense Language Institute, Monterey, California
2013 Escola de Comando e Estado-Maior da Aeronáutica (Brazil ACSC), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
2022 Inter-American Defense College, Washington, DC
2023 Latin American Senior Seminar, Washington, DC
ASSIGNMENTS OR CAREER CHRONOLOGY
1. August 2002 – October 2002, Casual Status, United States Air Force Academy, Colorado
2. October 2002 – February 2004, Student, Specialized Undergraduate Pilot Training, Laughlin Air Force Base, Texas
3. February 2004 – July 2006, C-21A Chief, Squadron Scheduling, Instructor Aircraft Commander, 54th
Airlift Squadron, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio
4. July 2006 – July 2010, Flight Commander, C-17A Instructor Aircraft Commander, 21st Airlift Squadron, Travis AFB, California
5. July 2010 – June 2011, Wing Aircrew Flight Equipment Officer, C-17A Evaluator, 60th Operational Support Squadron, Travis Air Force Base, California
6. June 2011 – September 2012, Chief, Wing Readiness, 573d Global Support Squadron, Travis AFB, California
7. October 2012 – May 2013, Chief, Wing Commander’s Action Group, 621st Contingency Response Wing, Travis AFB, California
8. June 2013 – December 2013, Student, Portuguese Basic Course, Defense Language Institute, Presidio of Monterey, California
9. January 2014 – December 2014, Student, Brazil Air Command & Staff College, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
10. January 2015 – July 2015, Country Director Western Hemisphere, Americas/Africa Division, SAF/IA, The Pentagon
11. August 2015 – June 2016, Politico-Military Planner, Joint Staff Strategy and Plans (J5), Western Hemisphere, The Pentagon
12. July 2016 – June 2017, Executive Officer to the Chief of Staff, Strategic Plans and Policy (J5)
13. July 2017 – April 2019, Operations Officer, 423d Mobility Training Squadron, JB MDL, New Jersey
14. May 2019 – May 2021, Commander, 421st Combat Training Squadron, JB MDL, New Jersey
15. June 2021 – June 2022, Student, Inter American Defense College, Fort McNair, Washington, DC
16. July 2022 – July 2023, Military Deputy Chief of the Europe and NATO Division, Undersecretary of the Air force International Affairs (SAF/IA), The Pentagon
17. August 2023 – May 2025, Chief, Strategic Competition Division, Deputy Chief of Staff (DCS) Air Force Futures (A5/7), The Pentagon
18. June 2025 – Present, Deputy Commander, 86th Airlift Wing, Ramstein AB, Germany
FLIGHT INFORMATION
Rating: Command Pilot
Flight Hours: More than 3,400
Aircraft Flown: T-37B, T-1A, C-21A, C-17A
MAJOR AWARDS
Legion of Merit
Defense Meritorious Service Medal
Meritorious Service Medal with two oak leaf clusters
Air Medal with four oak leaf clusters
Aerial Achievement Medal
Air Force Commendation Medal with two oak leaf clusters
Air Force Achievement Medal
Combat Readiness Medal
National Defense Service Medal
Iraq Campaign Medal with one bronze star
Afghanistan Campaign Medal with one bronze star
Global War On Terrorism Expeditionary Medal
Global War on Terrorism Service Medal
EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION
Second Lieutenant May 29, 2002
First Lieutenant May 29, 2004
Captain May 29, 2006
Major May 1, 2012
Lieutenant Colonel March 1, 2017
Colonel April 1, 2023
(Current as of June 2025)