Lt Col Matt Novotney is the commander of the 345th Recruiting Squadron, headquartered at Scott Air Force Base, Illinois. He commands over 180 military and civilian personnel with geographically separated recruiting offices spanning over 118,000 square miles across six states with an annual budget of $67K.
Lt Col Novotney matriculated to the US Air Force Academy in June of 2001. Upon completing his degree and commissioning, he completed undergraduate flying training at Moody AFB and NAS Corpus Christi, followed by C-130 Initial Qualification at Little Rock AFB, and MC-130H Initial Qualification at Kirtland AFB. After earning a mission qualification in the MC-130H, Lt Col Novotney was assigned to RAF Mildenhall, United Kingdom, where experienced operations in EUCOM and the newly activated AFRICOM while supporting US and NATO efforts during the Russia invasion of Georgia, OPERATION NEW DAWN in Libya, and OPERATION ENDURING FREEDOM in Afghanistan. Lt Col Novotney was next posted to Hurlburt Field, Florida, where he continued to support operations in Afghanistan, Iraq, and the Horn of Africa.
Lt Col Novotney upgraded to Aircraft Commander, then Instructor Pilot and was selected to stand-up the MC-130H Formal Training Unit at Hurlburt Field, Florida. After ensuring the MC-130H pipeline was established, he was chosen for a position in AFSOC Headquarters. Since moving to the HQ, Lt Col Novotney has held a number of responsibilities outside his job description to include executing Department of Air Force and SOCOM Readiness programs, supporting PACAF and USAFE Agile Combat Employment development, effecting Department of the Air Force Force Presentation initiatives, and developing and implementing the Air Force Special Operations Forces Force Generation Cycle. Prior to his current position, Lt Col Novotney was the Air Force Mobility Cross-cutting Operational Enabler Team Lead responsible for guiding over 150 Department of Defense personnel to support the Secretary of the Air Force Cross-cutting Operational Enabler and Operational Imperative Initiatives resulting in innovative capability development programs informing Department of the Air Force budgetary and policy decisions.
Lt Col Novotney is married to Emily and they have three children, a daughter, Roarke, and two sons, Rafe and Ender.
EDUCATION
2005 - Bachelors Degree in Astronautical Engineering, US Air Force Academy, Colorado
2011 - Squadron Officer School, correspondence course
2011 - Squadron Officer School, Maxwell AFB, Alabama
2013 - Masters Degree in Biochemistry, University of St Joseph, Connecticut
2017 - Air Command & Staff College, correspondence course
2017 - Masters Degree in Military Operational Arts and Sciences, Air University, Alabama
2023 – Air War College, correspondence course
ASSIGNMENTS or CAREER CHRONOLOGY
Jun 2001 – Jul 2005, Cadet, United States Air Force Academy, Colorado Springs, Colorado
Aug 2005 – Jun 2006, Student Pilot, 3rd Flying Training Squadron, Moody Air Force Base, Moody, Georgia
Jul 2006 – Feb 2007, Student Pilot, Training Squadron 35, Naval Air Station Corpus Christi, Corpus Christi, Texas
Mar 2007 – Jun 2007, Student Pilot, 714th Training Squadron, Little Rock Air Force Base, Little Rock, Arkansas
Jul 2007 – Mar 2008, Student Pilot, 58th Special Operations Training Squadron, Kirtland Air Force Base, Albuquerque, New Mexico
Apr 2008 – Mar 2011, Pilot, 7th Special Operations Squadron, Royal Air Force Mildenhall, United Kingdom
Apr 2011 – Jul 2017, Pilot, 15th Special Operations Squadron, Hurlburt Field, Florida
Aug 2017 – Apr 2018, Instructor Pilot, 19 Special Operations Squadron, Hurlburt Field, Florida
May 2018 – Sep 2022, Chief EC/MC-130 Training, Headquarters Air Force Special Operations Command, Hurlburt Field, Florida
Oct 2022 – Dec 2023, Chief Airlift Requirements Branch, Headquarters Air Mobility Command, Scott Air Force Base, Illinois
Jan 2024 – Apr 2024, Lead, Mobility Cross-cutting Operational Enabler, Headquarters Air Mobility Command, Scott Air Force Base, Illinois
Apr 2024 – Current, Commander, 345th Recruiting Squadron, Scott Air Force Base, Illinois
FLIGHT INFORMATION [FLIGHT RATED ONLY]
Rating: Command Pilot
Flight hours: 2600+
Aircraft flown: T-6, TC-12, C-130E, MC-130P, MC-130H
MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
Meritorious Service Medal with three oak leaf clusters
Air Medal with two oak leaf clusters
Joint Service Commendation Medal
Air Force Commendation Medal
Air Force Achievement Medal with one oak leaf clusters
Air Force Combat Action Medal
Afghanistan Campaign Medal
EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION [MILITARY ONLY]
Second Lieutenant June 1, 2005
First Lieutenant June 1, 2007
Captain June 1, 2009
Major August 1, 2015
Lieutenant Colonel February 1, 2020