Courtesy Photo Lieutenant Colonel Lucas Freudenburg

ALPENA — Lieutenant Colonel Lucas Freudenburg is the news commander of the Alpena Combat Readiness Training Center, the Michigan Department of Military and Veterans Affairs announced on Tuesday.

He replaces U.S. Air Force Col. Michael C. Whitefoot, who took command of the base in July of 2024.

Freudenburg will be responsible for the mission readiness of the CRTC, the stewardship of the installation and the health and welfare of the military and civilian men and women that accomplish the base’s mission.

Lt. Col. Freudenburg has deployed six times, as an MQ-9 evaluator pilot, and has flown in multiple areas of responsibility.

Freudenburg graduated as an Honor Graduate from basic training at Lackland Air Force Base in 2002 and completed Munitions Systems Apprentice Specialist training at Sheppard Air Force Base the same year.

He received his commission in 2006 as a Distinguished Graduate of the Academy of Military Science at McGhee Tyson Air National Guard Base in Knoxville, Tennessee. Lt. Col. Freudenburg graduated from Undergraduate Pilot Training at Columbus Air Force Base, Mississippi in 2010. Lt. Col.

Freudenburg has held various leadership roles, as Commander of the 110th Operations Support Squadron, the Air Component Operations Squadron A 5/8 Director, Exercise Chair for the National Guard Bureau Readiness Center, Chief of Scheduling, Chief of Standards and Evaluations, Wing Plans, Director of Inspection in the Inspector General Office and Wing Inspector General.

Lt. Col. Lucas Freudenburg graduated from Western Michigan University in 2005 with a bachelor’s degree in business management and received a master’s degree in organizational management from Colorado Tech University in 2013. He attended the Army War College in 2024 where he received a master’s degree in strategic studies.