Senior Leadership

As the Commandant of the NATO School Oberammergau, Colonel Jay Smith commands a faculty and staff representing 22 different NATO and Partnership for Peace nations that are responsible for the education and development of more than 10,000 students per year through more than 110 different formal education courses.

Colonel Jay Smith graduated of the United States Air Force Academy, he cross-commissioned into the United States Army as an infantry officer. He served as a platoon leader and company executive officer in 3rd Brigade, 3rd infantry Division (Mechanized) with deployments to Kuwait and Qatar. Later he served as the Support Platoon Leader and on the staff of 3rd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment. After transferring to Vicenza, Italy, he served on the staff of 1st Battalion, 508th Infantry (Airborne) of the 173rd Airborne Brigade. He commanded Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1st Battalion, 508th Infantry (Airborne) in Iraq and later 74th Long Range Surveillance Detachment of the 173rd Airborne Brigade in Afghanistan. He returned to the Army Staff as Director of the U.S.Army Foreign Liaison Office.

As an Olmsted Scholar, Colonel Jay Smith received his master’s degree in Geo-strategy, Defense and Security Policy and Comparative Military History at the University of Aix-Marseille III in France. Upon graduation, Colonel Smith served on the Army Staff within the Strategic Plans and Policy’s War Plans Division. He was the Assistant and then the Army Attaché in Warsaw, Poland, and the Chief of Defense Cooperation in Sofia, Bulgaria. He is a graduate of the Grand Strategy Program at the Air War College. Colonel Jay Smith served the Chief of Joint Doctrine on Joint Staff Joint Force Development Directorate (J-7).

He is a senior jumpmaster with combat jump star. He has earned a Ranger Tab and the Combat Infantryman Badge. He holds various awards including two Bronze Stars, the Bulgarian Commendation Medal, and the Polish Gold Star.

He and his wife, Jenn, have five children, the eldest of whom is in Army ROTC at Auburn University.

As Chief of Staff, Colonel Jac-Peter Tölkes supervises, directs, and coordinates the day-to-day operation of the NATO School Oberammergau with its staff body of about 200 personnel. He reviews, evaluates, and coordinates correspondence studies, procedures, and directives concerning plans, procedures, and operations and acts as the reviewing and coordinating official for all matters requiring the Commandant’s attention to include budget matters and fiscal documents.

Colonel Jac-Peter Tölkes started his military career in 1981 when he joined the German Armed Forces for basic training followed by the Officers' Candidate Training at the Armored Troops School in Munster. In 1986 he graduated with a Master of Science diploma in Educational Sciences at the German Armed Forces University in Munich. From 1986 to 1994 Colonel Tölkes attended several officers' courses in Hammelburg and Hannover and served as Platoon Leader, Company Commander and Deputy Battalion Commander. In 1996 he graduated from the General Staff Officer Course at the German Armed Forces Command and Staff College in Hamburg. In 1998 he graduated from the French General Staff Courses in Paris.
Hereafter, he has served in a variety of positions such as Commander Mountain Infantry Battalion 233 in Mittenwald. Furthermore, he served at French Ministry of Defense, and as section head in Bundeswehr Transformation Centre. Prior to assuming his assignment at the NATO School he served as ACOS Training and Exercise (CJ7) at Multinational Joint HQ in Ulm.

In support of SFOR he has deployed to Sarajevo, Bosnia Herzegovina in 1999/2000. As part of the ISAF mission he has deployed to Kabul, Afghanistan in 2003, and as part of the RS mission again to Kabul in 2019/2020. Furthermore he served as COS for establishing the EU Ops Centre in 2012.

Colonel Jac-Peter Tölkes is married and has two children. He and his wife live in Bavaria.

Colonel Ryan Craycraft is the Dean of Academics and Senior National Representative for Student Affairs at the NATO School Oberammergau, Bavaria, Germany. As Dean, he is responsible for ensuring the program of instruction, comprising more than 110 courses educating over 10,000 students annually, meets current and emerging training needs of the Alliance and a host of partner nations. Prior to his current assignment, he was the Inspector General for U.S. Air Forces in Europe-U.S. Air Forces Africa, Ramstein Air Base, Germany where he led the inspection program including responsibility for scheduling, planning, and conducting Unit Effectiveness, Nuclear Surety, and Joint Safety and Security inspections, as well as the command’s complaints and resolution program.

Colonel Craycraft is a 1994 graduate of the United States Air Force Academy. He has also served as the 49th Wing Vice Commander at Holloman AFB, NM. Additionally, Colonel Craycraft commanded an MC-12W squadron at Kandahar Airfield, Afghanistan and completed a joint tour as an arms control inspector and escort for the Defense Threat Reduction Agency. Colonel Craycraft is a command pilot with over 3,000 hours in the MQ-9, MC-12W, F-16, and T-38. He has more than 950 combat hours in Operations SOUTHERN WATCH and ENDURING FREEDOM.

As the Command Senior Enlisted Leader, Chief Warrant Officer (CWO) Corriveau serves as an advisor to the Commandant and the staff element leadership. He provides recommendations to the Commander on all matters pertaining to NCO ranks. He leads the NCOs and enlisted personnel of the school, ensures policy compliance, adherence to standards in performance and maintenance of good order and discipline.

After completing basic training, CWO Corriveau was posted to the Air Traffic Control unit at Canadian Forces Base (CFB) Bagotville, Quebec. In 1990, a posting to CFB Lahr, Germany ensued and shortly thereafter he was transferred to CFB Baden-Soellingen. After three years in Germany, he was assigned to Base Operations in Ottawa and in mid-1994, took part in a six-month deployment to Sinai, Egypt, as part of the Multinational Force and Observers mission. In 1995, he was assigned to 15 Wing Moose Jaw’s Air Traffic Control unit.

In 2000, he was posted to the United States Air Force's 2nd Space Warning Squadron at Buckley Air Force Base (AFB), Colorado and in 2005 was assigned to the 533rd Training Squadron, Vandenberg AFB, California where he became a Ballistic Missile Early Warning System instructor. In June 2006, he was promoted and transferred to Tinker AFB, Oklahoma, where he was employed as a Battle Director Technician aboard the E-3 Airborne Warning and Control System aircraft where he accumulated over 500 flying hours in support of the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) and Operation Enduring Freedom.

From 2010 to 2013 he was employed as Chief Instructor and Unit Master Warrant Officer for 16 Wing’s Air Command Academy. In July 2013 he was promoted to his current rank and became the Senior Enlisted Advisor to the NORAD Deputy Commander as well as Superintendent for NORAD/USNORTHCOM’s Inspector General at Peterson AFB, Colorado.

From 2016 to 2018, CWO Corriveau served as Wing Chief Warrant Officer at CFB Bagotville/3 Wing.

Prior to assuming the duties of Command Senior Enlisted Leader at the NATO School Oberammergau, CWO Corriveau served as Instructor, Course Director and Department Director for the Non-commissioned Officer Programmes Department at the NATO School Oberammergau.

He and his wife, Emma, have one son, Zachary.