Colonel Clifford Theony is the Director, Operations, Air Force Civil Engineer Center, Tyndall Air Force Base, Florida. Col Theony is responsible for leading more than 200 engineers in five divisions that provide civil engineer technical, management, and training expertise to Air Force engineers world-wide. The directorate executes direct support to squadrons and wings for civil engineer facility and infrastructure operations across all engineer disciplines to include pavements, facilities, utilities, and control system cyber security. Also, in direct support of various Department of the Air Force facility and infrastructure interests and requirements, the directorate provides Air Force and Space Force policy and guidance through membership on the various Department of Defense governing boards and councils.
Prior to assuming his current position, Colonel Theony served as the Commander, 1st Expeditionary Civil Engineer Group in Air Forces Central Command where he led over 1,200 Airmen in three Air Expeditionary Force rotations. The Group executed theater-wide heavy and expeditionary contruction, quick-strike firefighting, airfield rubber removal and painting, and facility demolition in 7 countries most notably providing direct support during a Non-Combatant Evacuation Operation, Operation Allies Refuge.
Colonel Theony was born in Teaneck, NJ. and grew up in the Pocono area of northeast Pennsylvania. Colonel Theony graduated from The Pennsylvania State University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering and has a Master of Science degree in Engineering Management from the Air Force Institute of Technology. He entered the Air Force through the Reserve Officer’s Training Corps as a Distinguished Graduate.
Colonel Theony has served at the Squadron, Field Operating Agency, Major, and Field Command levels, has deployed in support of Operation Enduring Freedom, Operation Iraqi Freedom, Combined-Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve, and commanded two Civil Engineer Squadrons.
EDUCATION
1999 Bachelor of Science Degree in Civil Engineering, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pa.
2007 Master of Science Degree in Engineering Management, Air Force Institute of Technology, Wright Patterson AFB, Ohio
2007 Squadron Officer School, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
2010 Air Command and Staff College, by correspondence
2015 Air War College, by correspondence
ASSIGNMENTS AND DEPLOYMENTS
1. July 1999-October 1999, student, Basic Communications Officer Training, Keesler AFB, Miss.
2. October 1999-April 2001, Crew Commander and Action Officer, Air Force Space Command Communications Support Squadron, Peterson AFB, Colo.
3. April 2001-October 2002, Project Manager, 21 Civil Engineer Squadron, Peterson AFB, Colo.
4. October 2002-August 2005, Project Engineer, 820 RED HORSE Squadron, Nellis AFB, Nev.
5. August 2003-February 2004, Project Engineer, 820 Expeditionary RED HORSE Squadron, Al Udeid AB, Qatar
6. August 2005-June 2007, Student, Air Force Institute of Technology, Wright Patterson, AFB, Ohio
7. June 2007-June 2008, Operations Flight Commander, 379 Expeditionary Civil Engineering Squadron, Al Udeid AB, Qatar
8. June 2008- January 2011, MILCON & Minor Construction Branch Chief and Support Branch Chief, Contingency Construction Division, Air Force Civil Engineer Center, Lackland AFB, Texas
9. August 2009-February 2010, Officer In Charge, Camp Bastion Site, Air Force Civil Engineer Center, Camp Bastion, Afghanistan
10. January 2011-September 2013, Instructor and Deputy Course Director, Air Command & Staff College, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
11. June 2012–June 2013, Commander, 451 Expeditionary Civil Engineer Squadron, Kandahar Airfield, Afghanistan
12. September 2013-June 2015, Chief, Emergency Services Branch and POM & MILCON Program Manager, Air Mobility Command, Scott AFB, Ill.
13. June 2015-June 2017, Commander, 22 Civil Engineer Squadron, McConnell AFB, Kan.
14. June 2017- August 2020, Deputy Chief, Civil Engineer Division and Chief, Planning Support Branch, HQ Air Force Space Command and HQ United States Space Force, Peterson AFB, Colo.
15. March – October 2018, Chief of Construction, Combined-Joint Task Force, Operation Inherent Resolve, Camp Arifjan, Kuwait and Union III, Baghdad, Iraq
16. September 2020 – June 2021, Chief, Civil Engineer Division and Command Civil Engineer, HQ Space Operations Command, Peterson AFB, Colo.
17. June 2021 – June 2022, Commander, 1st Expeditionary Civil Engineer Group, Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar
18. July 2022 – Present, Director, Operations, Air Force Civil Engineer Center, Tyndall AFB, Fla.
MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
Legion of Merit
Defense Meritorious Service Medal
Meritorious Service Medal with 7 oak leaf clusters
Air Force Commendation Medal with oak leaf cluster
Air Force Achievement Medal
Joint Meritorious Unit Award
Meritorious Unit Award with 2 oak leaf clusters
AF Outstanding Unit Award with Valor Device and 3 oak leaf clusters
National Defense Service Medal
Afghanistan Campaign Medal
Inherent Resolve Campaign Medal
Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal
Global War on Terrorism Service Medal
Nuclear Deterrence Operations Service Medal
AF Overseas Ribbon Short with oak leaf cluster
Air Force Expeditionary Service Ribbon with Gold Border with 4 oak leaf clusters
NATO Medal
EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION
Second Lieutenant 15 May 1999
First Lieutenant 7 June 2001
Captain 7 June 2003
Major 1 March 2009
Lieutenant Colonel 1 September 2014
Colonel 1 August 2020
(Current as of 12 October 2022)