Colonel David A. Fazenbaker is Vice Commander, 14th Flying Training Wing, Columbus Air Force Base, Mississippi. The wing is responsible for Specialized Undergraduate Pilot Training of U.S. Air Force and allied officers, as well as tactical training for Lebanese and Afghan pilots and aircraft maintainers in the A-29 Super Tucano at Moody AFB, Georgia. The wing at Columbus is composed of 243 aircraft that fly in excess of 55,000 sorties and 78,000 hours per year to train over 400 pilots and combat system operators annually. He is responsible for day-to-day operations of base support functions and mission activities for the Wing’s nearly 3,000 military, civilian and contract Airmen. Colonel Fazenbaker also manages an operations and maintenance budget of $131 million and capital assets and equipment exceeding $2.3 billion.
Colonel Fazenbaker entered the Air Force in 1999 as a Reserve Officer Training Corps Distinguished Graduate from the Pennsylvania State University. He attended pilot training at Laughlin AFB, Texas, where he was a First Assignment Instructor Pilot. Colonel Fazenbaker was then selected to fly the C-17A, where he became an Evaluator Aircraft Commander. He has served in numerous supervisory and leadership positions to include Commander of the 10th Airlift Squadron at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington; and Commander of the 817th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron at Manas Air Base, Kyrgyzstan and Thumrait, Oman. Col Fazenbaker has served in a variety of roles on the Headquarters Air Force Staff and the Joint Staff, to include Chief, Joint Air Mobility Distribution Branch, Distribution Division, Directorate of Logistics (J-4), Joint Staff, the Pentagon. Prior to his current assignment, he was the United States Transportation Command Liaison Officer to United Nations Command/Combined Forces Command/United States Forces Korea.
Colonel Fazenbaker is a command pilot with more than 4,000 flying hours and more than 500 combat hours.
EDUCATION
1998 Bachelor of Science in Physics, Pennsylvania State University, State College
2003 Squadron Officer School, Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama
2008 Air Command and Staff College, by correspondence
2010 Master’s of Science, Administration, Central Michigan University, Mt Pleasant, Michigan.
2011 Master’s of Science in Strategic Intelligence, National Defense Intelligence College, Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling, Washington D.C.
2018 National Defense Fellow, Atlantic Council, Washington D.C.
ASSIGNMENTS
1. February 1999 - July 1999, Assistant Operations Officer, JEFX Program Office, Nellis Air Force Base (AFB), Nevada
2. July 1999 - July 2000, Student, Specialized Undergraduate Pilot Training, Laughlin AFB, Texas
3. August 2000 - December 2000, Student, Pilot Instructor Training, Randolph AFB, Texas
4. January 2000 - January 2004, T-1A Instructor Pilot, Category Check Pilot, Assistant Flight Commander and Executive Officer, 47th Operations Group, Laughlin AFB, Texas
5. January 2004 - May 2004, Student, C-17A Aircraft Commander Initial Qualification Course, Altus AFB, Oklahoma
6. May 2004 - October 2007, Wing Executive Officer and C-17A Evaluator Aircraft Commander, 62d Airlift Wing, McChord AFB, Washington
7. November 2007 - May 2009, CSAF Briefer, Air Force Operations Group, Directorate of Air Operations, DCS Ops, Plans & Requirements (HAF), Pentagon, Washington D.C.
8. May 2009 - September 2009, Executive Officer, Director of Operations, DCS Ops, Plans & Requirements (HAF), Pentagon, Washington D.C.
9. September 2009 - August 2010, Speechwriter, SECAF/CSAF Executive Action Group, Pentagon, Washington D.C.
10. August 2010 - July 2011, IDE Student, National Defense Intelligence College, Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling, Washington D.C.
11. August 2011 - October 2011, Student, C-17A Instructor Requalification Course, Altus AFB, Oklahoma
12. October 2011 - April 2012, Director of Staff and C-17A Instructor Aircraft Commander, 17th Airlift Squadron, Joint Base Charleston, South Carolina
13. April 2012 - February 2013, Operations Officer and C-17A Evaluator Aircraft Commander, 14th Airlift Squadron, Joint Base Charleston, South Carolina
14. March 2013 - September 2014, Commander, 10th Airlift Squadron, McChord Field, Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington (Commander, 817th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron, Thumrait AB, Oman)
15. September 2014 - June 2017, Deputy Chief, Distribution Division, and Chief, Joint Air Mobility Distribution Branch, Distribution Division, Directorate of Logistics (J-4), Joint Staff, Pentagon, Washington D.C.
16. July 2017 - June 2018, National Defense Fellow, Atlantic Council, Washington D.C.
17. June 2018 - June 2019, United States Transportation Command Liaison Officer to United Nations
Command/Combined Forces Command/United States Forces Korea, Camp Humphreys, South Korea
18. July 2019 - Present, Vice Commander, 14th Flying Training Wing, Columbus AFB, Mississippi
FLIGHT INFORMATION
Rating: Command Pilot
Flight hours: More than 4,000
Aircraft Flown: T-37, T-1, and C-17A
MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
Defense Superior Service Medal
Defense Meritorious Service Medal Meritorious Service Medal
Air Medal
Aerial Achievement Medal
Air Force Commendation Medal
AF Outstanding Unit Award with Valor device
EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION
Second Lieutenant January 18, 1999
First Lieutenant January 18, 2001
Captain January 18, 2003
Major September 1, 2008
Lieutenant Colonel November 1, 2012
Colonel February 1, 2019
(Current as of July 2019)