Colonel Michael Peeler is the Commander, Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps (AFROTC) Detachment 159 and Professor of Aerospace Studies at the University of Central Florida. He leads all recruiting, administration, instruction and evaluation activities required to develop and support more than 250 prospective Air Force officers attending the university.

Colonel Peeler graduated from the U.S. Air Force Academy in 1998 with a degree in Human Factors Engineering. He has served in numerous Squadron, Wing, NAF, MAJCOM, and Joint positions, to include deriving capability and programmatic strategy for the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Colonel Peeler is a command pilot with more than 3,500 hours in the C-141, C-17 and C-5, and has accrued over 320 combat hours in support of Operations ENDURING FREEDOM, IRAQI FREEDOM, NEW DAWN, INHERENT RESOLVE, and JOINT FORGE. He is a graduate of the School of Advanced Military Studies, the Air War College Grand Strategy Program, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Seminar XXI program. Prior to his current position, Colonel Peeler commanded the 436th Operations Group, Dover Air Force Base, Delaware.