WASHINGTON – Brigadier General Todd Canterbury, Commander of 56th Fighter Wing, Luke Air Force Base in Arizona will join Arizona senior Senator Kyrsten Sinema at the Congressional address by the Secretary General of NATO, Jens Stoltenberg. Luke Air Force Base is home to F-35A training for four NATO Allies, creating a partnership between the United States and NATO members to train their pilots on the F-35 aircraft.
“Brig. Gen. Canterbury knows firsthand how important NATO is to keeping our country and servicemembers safe and secure. I am grateful he has joined me at this important address to underscore our commitment to NATO allies and Arizona’s military bases and servicemembers,” said Sinema.
Brigadier General Todd D. Canterbury is the Commander, 56th Fighter Wing, Luke Air Force Base and an Arizonan. As part of Air Education and Training Command, and home to 25 squadrons with both F-16 Fighting Falcon and F-35A Lightning II aircraft, the 56th is the largest fighter wing in the U.S. Air Force and graduates more than 90 F-35 pilots, 300 F-16 pilots, and 300 air control professionals annually. Additionally, the 56th Fighter Wing oversees the Gila Bend Air Force Auxiliary Field and is steward of the Barry M. Goldwater Range, a military training range spanning more than 1.7 million acres of Sonoran desert.
General Canterbury entered the Air Force in May 1993 after graduating from Arizona State University ROTC in 1992 with a Bachelor of Science degree in aeronautical engineering technology. General Canterbury’s assignments have been a mix of operational and training assignments. As an operational F-15E and MC-12 pilot, he has logged over 650 combat hours and has participated in operations Northern Watch and Enduring Freedom. He has served as a U.S. Air Force Weapons School Instructor, Thunderbirds demonstration pilot, fighter squadron commander and wing commander. His most recent assignment was Director of the F-35 Integration Office at Headquarters U.S. Air Force.
Sinema has pledged to continue working alongside Brigadier General Canterbury and Arizona’s military leaders to ensure our military installations have the funding they need to guarantee our nation’s military readiness.
