Colonel Appleyard is the commander of the 3d Combat Communications Group, Tinker Air Force Base, Oklahoma. He is responsible for training, operations, maintenance, and engineering in five subordinate squadrons, a $3.5M budget, over $600M of equipment and 800 personnel.  The Group is the USAF’s largest combat-rated communications group, providing command and control communications, and computer networking support and air traffic services for the war fighting combatant commanders during wartime and contingency operations. 

Colonel Appleyard is a career communications and information officer with extensive operational experience.  He has served as an operations officer/deputy commander in Operation DESERT STORM (Saudi Arabia), commander in Operation RESTORE HOPE (Egypt/Somalia), Joint Task Force liaison and air operations center integration for Operation UPHOLD DEMOCRACY (Haiti), C4 planner for Operation GREEN CLOVER (counter drug), deputy A6 for European support for humanitarian operations and combat support in Operation ENDURING FREEDOM, and commander in Operation IRAQI FREEDOM (Turkey) in support of special forces and the Combined Air Operations Center-North. 

Colonel Appleyard was born in Somers Point and raised in Linwood, New Jersey.  He was commissioned in July 1986 after completing his degree and Reserve Officer Training Course requirements at West Virginia University, and entered active duty in March 1987.