Hansen promoted to colonel; first director, HQ Air Staff

May 18, 2007 -- Murray A. Hansen of Warner Robins was promoted to the rank of Colonel in the Georgia Air National Guard at formal promotion ceremonies held at the Museum of Aviation at Robins AFB, Ga.

Hansen, an 18-year Air Force veteran is currently the Director of Staff, Headquarters, Georgia Air National Guard.  In this position, Colonel Hansen serves as a principal advisor to the Adjutant General of Georgia and the Assistant Adjutant General for Air on a broad range of matters concerning the U.S. Air Force and the Air National Guard. He is responsible for oversight of a variety of functions including, but not limited to logistics, finance, information systems, manpower and personnel; public affairs; recruiting and retention; civil engineering; medical and state emergency response, working with two flying Wings, five Geographically Separated Units (GSUs) and the Combat Readiness Training Center.

Col Hansen serves on the Board of Directors of the National Guard Association of Georgia and as the President-elect and the National Guard Association of the United States as the Area III Air Representative for seven states.

Col. Hansen was commissioned through ROTC at Valdosta State College.  He began his officer career as a B-52 Navigator at Barksdale AFB, LA where he deployed as part of the 62nd Bomb Wing in support of Operation Desert Storm.  His unit held the distinction as being the only dual nuclear/conventional qualified B-52 squadron and was one of the last aircrews to pull nuclear alert in the Strategic Air Command prior to the fall of the USSR.  As a member of Barksdale’s START Treaty Team, he served as a host to the first Russian Bear Bomber aircraft and crew to visit the United States.

Col Hansen joined the Georgia Air National Guard in January 1996 as a Weapons Systems Officer (WSO) with the 116th Bomb Wing, Robins AFB, GA.  He was a distinguished graduate in his B-1 Initial Qualification Training. He upgraded to instructor and flew nearly 1000 hours while serving as Assistant Chief of Training, Chief of Scheduling and later Chief of the Wing Operations Center.  While in this capacity, the Wing earned the first Air Combat Command operational readiness inspection for a B-1 Wing.  Hansen was one of eight WSOs who transitioned to the Air Battle Manager rating, during the conversion to the E-8C Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System (J-STARS) aircraft. 

Hansen again deployed to Southwest Asia supporting Operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom.  He also served in the 128th Airborne Command & Control Squadron as Assistant Director of the Operations, Chief of Staff, then Director of Operations for the 116th Operations Support Squadron.

Colonel Hansen is married to the former Sharon Fowler of Moultrie, GA.  The couple has three grown children and three grandchildren and currently resides in Warner Robins.