Colonel Phillip Goebel is the Commander of the 18th Medical Group, Kadena Air Base, Japan. He commands a team of 500 healthcare professionals who ensure the medical readiness of the Air Force’s largest Combat Wing by providing safe, high-quality medical care to over 14,000 beneficiaries, directly promoting the mutual interests of the United States and Japan. The 18th Medical Group is the largest outpatient clinic in the Pacific Air Forces with 77 providers supporting over 215,000 annual medical and dental visits. Further, the group delivers support throughout the Pacific theater via several unique capabilities and missions including: the Air Force’s second largest neonatal intensive care unit, the only aeromedical staging flight in the Western Pacific, a Theater Preventive Medicine Flight, and the Theater Lead Agent for Medical Materiel – Pacific.
Colonel Goebel is also a senior Emergency Medicine/Critical Care Air Transport Team physician. He began his career through the Health Professions Scholarship Program in 2001 and was a distinguished graduate of Commissioned Officer Training in 2002. He worked as an Active Duty Emergency Physician at Wilford Hall Medical Center, and Mike O’Callaghan Federal Hospital before his service in the Utah Air National Guard. He has deployed as a Critical Care Air Transport Team Physician three times in support of several military operations including: ENDURING FREEDOM, IRAQI FREEDOM, INHERENT RESOLVE, FREEDOM’S SENTINEL, and RESOLUTE SUPPORT. He has flown over 60 combat missions evacuating over 100 critical patients.
Prior to his current position, Col Goebel was the Commander of the 673rd Operational Medical Readiness Squadron, Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, where he led five flights and 222 active duty, government civilian and contractor personnel executing healthcare for over 6,500 active duty servicemembers. Furthermore, he previously served as Commander of the 18th Healthcare Operations Squadron, Kadena Air Base, Japan, where he led 93 active duty and civilian personnel in the delivery of primary care, subspecialty, emergency, and critical care services in support of military treatment facilities throughout the Indo-Pacific region, and as the Emergency Services Flight Commander for the 673rd Healthcare Operations Squadron, Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, AK. In this role he ensured the readiness of 64 personnel and the delivery of prehospital and Emergency Department care for over 21,000 joint DoD/VA patients per year. Additionally, he served as a Deputy Chief of Medical Staff working with the Exceptional Family Member Program and Quality Improvement initiatives, and as the Air Force representative to the MHS GENESIS FirstNet Joint Working Group.
EDUCATION
2001 Bachelor of Science in Political Science, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah
2005 Doctor of Medicine, Oregon Health Sciences University, Portland, Oregon
2008 Emergency Medicine Residency, SAUSHEC, Lackland Air Force Base, Texas
2017 Air Command and Staff College by Correspondence
2020 Air War College by Correspondence
2025 Certified Physician Executive by American Association for Physician Leadership
ASSIGNMENTS
1. June 2005 – June 2007, Emergency Medicine Resident, Lackland Air Force Base, Texas
2. July 2007 – June 2008, Chief Emergency Medicine Resident, Lackland AFB, Texas
3. July 2008 – June 2011, Emergency Medicine Physician, Nellis AFB, Nevada
4. August 2014 – August 2020, Chief of Medical Staff and Emergency Physician, Roland Wright Air National Guard Base, Utah
5. August 2020 – June 2021, Emergency Services Physician, Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska
6. June 2021 – June 2023, Emergency Services Flight Commander, JB Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska
7. June 2023 – June 2025, Commander, 18th Healthcare Operations Squadron, Kadena Air Base, Japan
8. July 2025 – June 2026, Commander, 673rd Operational Medical Readiness Squadron, JB Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska
9. June 2026 – Present, Group Commander, 18th Medical Group, Kadena AB, Japan
MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
Meritorious Service Medal with three oak leaf clusters
Aerial Achievement Medal with five oak leaf clusters
Air Force Commendation Medal with a silver “C” device and three oak leaf clusters
Air Force Achievement Medal
Meritorious Unit Award with three oak leaf clusters
Air Force Outstanding Unit Award with four oak leaf clusters
National Defense Service Medal
Afghanistan Campaign Medal with two service stars
Global War On Terrorism Expeditionary Medal with one service star
Global War On Terrorism Service Medal
Humanitarian Service Medal
Nuclear Deterrence Operations Service Medal with one oak leaf cluster
Air Force Expeditionary Service Ribbon with gold border and two oak leaf clusters
Armed Forces Reserve Medal with one ‘M’ device
NATO Medal with one service star
OTHER ACHIEVEMENTS
2002 Distinguished graduate, Commissioned Officer Training, Maxwell AFB, Alabama
2008 Outstanding Senior Resident Clinician, SAUSHEC Emergency Medicine Residency, Lackland AFB, Texas
EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION
Second Lieutenant November 19, 2001
Captain April 30, 2005
Major April 30, 2011
Lieutenant Colonel October 15, 2017
Colonel November 01, 2023
(Current as of July 2026)