Governor Laura Kelly today announced the appointment of Col. Chris Ioder, Kansas City, as a one-star general. The appointment awaits confirmation by the Kansas Senate.
Ioder replaced Maj. Gen. David A. Weishaar as the commander of the Kansas Air National Guard on March 7. Weishaar was sworn in as the Kansas Adjutant General on April 1.
The Kansas Air National has two wings: the 184th Wing located at McConnell Air Force Base in Wichita with a detachment located in Salina, and the 190th Air Refueling Wing based at Forbes Field in Topeka. The wings perform seven unique missions, training and preparing citizen-airmen to respond to the Governor of Kansas in the event of state emergencies, or to the call of the President of the United States in times of crisis.
“Colonel Ioder has served our country and our state honorably and with leadership for many years now,” Kelly said. “I am confident in his ability to continue leading with poise and integrity.”
Before his selection, Ioder served as the director of operations of the Air Component at the Joint Forces Headquarters for the Kansas National Guard. Ioder began his military career by enlisting in the Missouri Air National Guard as an air cargo specialist in 1988. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Rockhurst University in Kansas City, Missouri, in December 1989. He transferred to the Kansas Air National Guard in 1991 and received his commission from the Academy of Military Science in 1992. He completed Undergraduate Pilot Training in 1993, followed by KC-135 Combat Crew Training in 1994.
While assigned to the 190th Air Refueling Wing, Ioder has held various positions, to include commander of the 190th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron and flight commander in the 117th Air Refueling Squadron. As a command pilot, he has logged more than 4,500 flying hours, including over 80 combat sorties and more than 500 hours flown in direct support of Operations Deny Flight, Deliberate Guard, Allied Force, Northern Watch, Iraqi Freedom, Enduring Freedom and Unified Protector.
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