Col. Elizabeth Anne L. Hoettels is the Military Treatment Facility Director and Commander of the 6th Medical Group, MacDill Air Force Base, Fla. She oversees the provision of primary care for 29,000 enrolled beneficiaries, including 7,400 active-duty members from all military services, in support of a global air refueling wing, two joint combatant command headquarters, 42 mission partners, and 48 international coalition nation representatives. Col. Hoettels directs the Defense Health Agency’s largest outpatient single-unit Prime Service Area supporting more than 144,000 beneficiaries in the Tampa Bay area. Leading a staff of more than 500 personnel, she manages delivery of primary care, surgical, dental, and specialty services at MacDill’s Ambulatory Clinic and the Sabal Park Clinic, 18 miles away, with a total operations and maintenance budget of $46 million annually.

Col. Hoettels began her military career as an Army Reserve Medical Service Corps Officer in 1998, serving eight years with the 114th Combat Support Hospital and 360th Civil Affairs Brigade. Upon earning a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Virginia Commonwealth University in 2005, she commissioned into the Air Force. A seasoned clinical expert, she has served as a critical care nurse, flown with specialized aeromedical evacuation teams, and held key leadership roles including Chief Nurse Executive at Aviano Air Base, Italy. Her command tours include the 423d Medical Squadron, the 673d Inpatient Operations Squadron, and most recently, the 19th Medical Group at Little Rock AFB, Ark.

Col. Hoettels has deployed extensively in support of the NATO Stabilization Force, Operation Enduring Freedom, and Operation Iraqi Freedom. Most recently, she deployed on the inaugural Ground Surgical Team to the Horn of Africa supporting Naval Special Warfare operations.

EDUCATION
1998 Bachelor of Arts in International Relations, Marquette University, Milwaukee
1999 Army Medical Department Officer Basic Course, AMEDD Center & School, Fort Sam Houston, Texas
2001 Civil Affairs Officer Advanced Course, John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center, Fort Bragg, N.C.
2002 Psychological Operations Officer Advanced Course, John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center, Fort Bragg, N.C., by correspondence
2005 Bachelor of Science in Nursing, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond
2007 Squadron Officer School, Maxwell AFB, Ala., by correspondence
2010 Squadron Officer School, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
2010 Nursing Service Management, Sheppard AFB, Texas
2011 Master of Science in Nursing, Norwich University, Northfield, Vt.
2013 Master of Military Operational Art and Science, Air University, Maxwell AFB, Ala., by correspondence
2013 Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell AFB, Ala., by correspondence
2016 Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
2018 Air War College, Maxwell AFB, Ala., by correspondence
2020 Doctorate of Nursing Practice, Gonzaga University, Spokane, Wash.
2022 Master of Strategic Studies, Maxwell AFB, Ala.

ASSIGNMENTS
1. December 1998–July 1999, Patient Administration Officer, 114th Combat Support Hospital, Fort Snelling, Minn.
2. July 1999–June 2000, Army ROTC Cadre, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, N.C.
3. July 2000–February 2006, Public Health Team Member, 360th Civil Affairs Brigade, Fort Jackson, S.C. (Deployed as Public Health Team Member, Civil-Military  
Cooperation Battalion, Bosnia-Herzegovina; Deployed as Public Health Team Member, Coalition Joint Civil Military Operations Task Force, Kabul, Afghanistan)
4. May 2006–August 2006, Student, Nurse Transition Program, 88th Medical Group, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio
5. August 2006–January 2008, Clinical Nurse, Obstetrics, 79th Medical Group, Andrews AFB, Md.
6. January 2008–December 2008, ICU Fellow, Bethesda Naval Hospital, Bethesda, Md.
7. January 2009–February 2010, Clinical Nurse, Critical Care, 779th Medical Group, Andrews AFB, Md. (Deployed as Critical Care Nurse, Expeditionary Medical Group, Balad, Iraq)
8. February 2010–December 2010, Clinical Nurse, Emergency Services, 633rd Medical Group, Langley AFB, Va.
9. January 2011–October 2011, Flight Commander, Medical Specialties Flight, 633rd Medical Group, Langley AFB, Va.
10. November 2011–September 2012, Resuscitative Medicine Officer in Charge, 86th Medical Squadron, Landstuhl Regional Medical Center, Landstuhl, Germany (Deployed as Flight Nurse, Critical Care Air Transport Team, 10th Expeditionary Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron, Ramstein AB, Germany)
11. October 2012–July 2015, Clinical Nurse, Critical Care, 86th Medical Squadron, Landstuhl Regional Medical Center, Landstuhl, Germany (Deployed as Critical Care Nurse, Ground Surgical Team, Horn of Africa)
12. July 2015–July 2016, LeMay Fellowship, Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
13. August 2016–September 2017, Flight Commander, Multiservice Unit, 96th Medical Group, Eglin AFB, Fla.
14. October 2017–May 2019, Flight Commander, Family Health Clinic, 96th Medical Group, Eglin AFB, Fla.
15. June 2019–June 2021, Commander, 423d Medical Squadron, RAF Alconbury, United Kingdom
16. July 2021–May 2022, Student, Air War College, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
17. June 2022–June 2023, Chief Nurse Executive, 31st Medical Group, Aviano AB, Italy
18. July 2023–July 2024, Commander, 673d Inpatient Operations Squadron, Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska
19. July 2024–July 2026, Military Treatment Facility Director and Commander, 19th Medical Group, Little Rock AFB, Ark.
20. July 2026–Present, Military Treatment Facility Director and Commander, 6th Medical Group, MacDill AFB, Fla.

MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
Legion of Merit
Bronze Star Medal
Defense Meritorious Service Medal
Meritorious Service Medal with four oak leaf clusters
Aerial Achievement Medal
Air and Space Commendation Medal with three oak leaf clusters
Army Commendation Medal
Air and Space Achievement Medal
Army Achievement Medal

PUBLICATIONS
1. “Medical Support to the DoD Arctic Strategy,” Æther: A Journal of Strategic Airpower & Spacepower, Spring 2023
2. Developing Telephone Triage (Book Chapter), “The Art and Science of Telephone Triage: How to Practice Nursing Over the Phone” (2012)

EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION
Second Lieutenant Dec. 18, 1998
First Lieutenant Dec. 18, 2000
Captain June 1, 2006
Major Jan. 6, 2014
Lieutenant Colonel Nov. 1, 2018
Colonel June 19, 2023

(Current as of July 2026)