412th EWG receives new commander Published Aug. 12, 2009 By Sarah Fowler 412th Electronic Warfare Group EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- The 412th Electronic Warfare Group welcomed its new commander Aug. 6 during a change of command ceremony at Club Muroc. Col. William Thornton, 412th Test Wing commander, presided over the event in which Col. Russell Kurtz succeeded Col. Joseph Nichols as the 412th EWG commander. Colonel Kurtz was last stationed at Hanscom Air Force Base, Mass., where he was the Deputy Director of Engineering Electronic Systems Center. He supported the three-start Commander/Program Executive Officer managing the $4B Air Force Command & Control, Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance systems portfolio comprising 150+ acquisition programs and an organization of over 10,000 people operating from six major locations. As the 412th Electronic Warfare Group commander, Colonel Kurtz will be responsible for test and evaluation of aircraft survivability systems. He will also be responsible for operating the Benefield Anechoic Facility and the Integration Facility for Avionics System Testing at Edwards AFB, and the Air Force Electronic Warfare Evaluation Simulator in Fort Worth, Texas. Colonel Kurtz commissioned into the Air Force in 1986, following completion of Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps. He is a graduate of Purdue University. He continued his education through AF Materials Laboratory sponsorship and received his Doctorate of Philosophy in 1994. He has held a wide variety of engineering, acquisition and leadership positions, including Program Manager of C-130 Air Defensive Systems, associate professor of Engineering Mechanics at the United States Air Force Academy, and commander of the Holloman High Speed Test Track. This will be a return to Edwards for the new 412 EWG commander, as he is a graduate of the United States Test Pilot School. He has also directed numerous flight test programs to include a navigational and radar test series conducted at the South Pole. Colonel Kurtz's decorations include the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, the Meritorious Service Medal with three oak leaf clusters, the Aerial Achievement Medal with one oak leaf cluster, the Commendation Medal, the Joint Service Achievement Medal, the Achievement Medal, and the Expeditionary Medal. He was promoted to colonel on Dec. 1, 2007. He is married to the former Barbara Hiner, and has four children, Nicholas, Ashley, Tyler, and Katherine. Outgoing commander Colonel Nichols commanded the 412th Electronic Warfare Group since June 2005, and will be retiring at the end of August 2009.