Thomas Kunkel

General (Ret) Thomas E. Kunkel serves as Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer at the Kyl Institute for National Security where he leverages more than 30 years of distinguished service in the U.S. Air Force and NATO. He brings deep expertise in operations, strategy, and leadership from a career dedicated to advancing national security and organizational excellence. His military career culminated as Commander of NATO’s Airborne Early Warning and Control (AEW&C) Force in Geilenkirchen, Germany, providing critical surveillance, command and control, and communications capabilities to NATO and its allies. Previously, he served as a legislative liaison to the U.S. House of Representatives and as Commander of the 23d Wing and Moody Air Force Base in Georgia. A career aviator, General Kunkel served as a special operations and combat rescue pilot, flight examiner, and weapons officer, and deployed in support of Operations Allied Force, Enduring Freedom–Philippines, Enduring Freedom, and Iraqi Freedom. He holds a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Texas at Arlington and Master’s degrees in Military and Strategic Leadership and National Resource Strategy from the Air Force Institute of Technology and The Eisenhower School, respectively.