Captain Mike Steffen - Commanding Officer

Capt. Mike Steffen is the 11th Commanding Officer of Naval Air Station Fort Worth Joint Reserve Base, Texas, since the installation was established as the first joint reserve base in October of 1994.  The installation’s mission is to provide joint training capability and resources to enable Warfighter readiness while sustaining personnel and their families, community compatibility, and a culture of safety. 

Captain Steffen is a native of Bedford, Virginia. He was commissioned in May 1992 through the Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps and designated a naval aviator in 1994. He is a graduate from Virginia Tech with a Bachelor of Science degree in History and holds a Master’s of Science in Global Business Leadership from the University of San Diego.

His sea duty tours include serving with the Helicopter Anti-Submarine Squadron (HS-4) “Black Knights”, deploying twice with Carrier Air Wing 14 (CVW 14) aboard USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70) and USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72), along with two combat tours conducting special operations forward deployed in Iraq with both the Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron 4 (HCS-4) “Redwolves” and HCS-5 “Firehawks” in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. 

Captain Steffen shore tours included the east coast HS Wing Weapons School as an instructor pilot and the FLIR/Hellfire weapons system subject matter expert, as well serving on the staffs of Helicopter Wing Reserve, U.S. Fleet Forces Command, and Naval Air Forces Reserve.

His command tours include the Helicopter Anti-Submarine Squadron Light 60 (HSL-60) “Jaguars” and the Maritime Support Wing, based in Coronado, California.

Captain Steffen has flown over 2,700 total hours, including more than 1000 hours on Night Vision Goggles and over 350 combat flight hours.  His personal awards include the Air Medal Single Action with Combat “V” (two awards), Air Medal Strike/Flight (eight awards), and Meritorious Service Medal (three awards), along with other numerous campaign and unit awards.

Mike Branum - Community Planning Liaison Officer

Aviation professional with diverse expertise in land use planning and encroachment programs to prevent incompatible development in the vicinity of military installations, training ranges and special use airspace. Demonstrated success in grants and contracts management, development of innovative planning products, oversight in collection and analyses of complex datasets, collaborative intergovernmental policy development.  

Areas of Expertise
Short- and Long-range Aviation System Planning, Compatible Land Use and Development Initiatives, Intergovernmental Relations, Aviation Regulations and Policy, and Ground Accessibility to Airports