Meet the new 341st Maintenance Group commander; Colonel brings 25 years of missiles, maintenance, excellence

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Emerald Ralston
  • 341st Space Wing Public Affairs Office
MALMSTROM AIR FORCE BASE, Mont. --  Malmstrom's new Maintenance Group commander, Col. Deborah Kirkhuff, took control of her first group-level command position in her missile laden 25-year career June 8.
A former squadron commander at Minot Air Force Base, this mother of three said she intends to look into the things Malmstrom and Montana have to offer. 

"I really want to get the family up to Glacier [National Park]," said Colonel Kirkhuff. "We aren't much of an outdoor family, but there are hotels there," she said with a smile. 

"They just make it so easy to enjoy the outdoors here," the Orlando native said. "If you don't get out and take advantage of it, it's no one's fault but your own." 

Colonel Kirkhuff said she enjoys running the trails around Great Falls and intends to start biking on them this summer. 

"One of my hobbies is working out," she said. "It's a great form of stress relief."
Her hobbies also include reading science fiction and fantasy novels, and attending her children's sports events and school activities. 

With two children still in school and one a recent high school graduate; hockey, tumbling and gymnastics events were on the top of the list of Colonel Kirkhuff's things to do before arriving at Malmstrom. 

"My oldest, Kirk, is currently in Colorado trying to find a way to stay involved in ice hockey," she said. "And our youngest was in tumbling and gymnastics, which they don't do in the state of Montana. She wasn't very happy about that, so we're going to try to get her horseback riding instead." 

Colonel Kirkhuff and her husband, Miles, have three children. Kirk, 18, Kristine, 15 and Kari, 13. The Kirkhuffs met at her first assignment in Wichita, Kan., in 1983. Miles retired from the Air Force after serving for 20 years. 

While they hope to add many memories of their stay at Malmstrom to the list, Colonel Kirkhuff has many memorable moments already of her time in the Air Force. 

"One of my most memorable Air Force moments was when I was still a cadet and I got to march in President Reagan's 1981 inaugural parade," the Air Force Academy graduate said. "I really felt proud to be a part of that." 

She also relayed fond memories of her years spent at the Air Force Academy. 

"I got a chance to do things I never thought I'd get to do," she said, "like jumping out of planes, flying to different parts of the world and the opportunity to get a first-class education. I was a political science major and I got the opportunity to meet people from all over the country." 

Her undergraduate experience allowed her an opportunity to take classes she might not have taken otherwise. Her least favorite classes were math classes and her favorite classes were on nuclear policy. 

"It was a little different, as we were still learning all the doctrine, because this was in the early '80s," the former missile combat crew commander said. "They didn't even have the START [Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty] back then - we had the SALT [Strategic Arms Limitation Talks] treaty at that point. 

"I think the whole theory of nuclear policy and how governments will interact with each other is fascinating," she said. "All these non-state factions, or terrorist groups, don't follow the same rules as we do. It's a good foundation for understanding the war."
This led to another memorable moment from her Air Force history. 

"After the Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces Treaty that eliminated a whole class of nuclear weapons, members from the Soviet Union came to our base in 1988," Colonel Kirkhuff said. "The Soviets were looking at our weapons and going all over our base and it really signified a change in the relationships between the countries. I think it really laid the foundation for the START treaty." 

Eager to face the challenges Malmstrom has in store for her while maintaining the standard of excellence the 341st MXG has set for itself are her priorities right now. 

Colonel Kirkhuff said she never thought she'd have the opportunity to be a squadron commander when she became one at Minot in 2001, much less a group commander. 

"I look forward to helping the 341st MXG maintain the reputation they've already built for themselves as the best maintenance group," she said. "They're the best in the world and they are that for a reason. As long as we stay focused on the mission, we'll stay the best in the world."