Colonel Gary T. Hayward is Commander, 14th Mission Support Group, Columbus Air Force Base, Mississippi. In this capacity he assists and provides military advice to the Wing Commander on the development and implementation of goals, plans, policies and procedures to accomplish all wing support activities. As commander, he provides essential services with a 750-person workforce and $38 million budget, operates and maintains facilities and infrastructure for a 6,013-acre pilot training base and provides law enforcement, force protection, logistics, fuel, fire protection, communications, contracting, civil engineer, education, recreation, and personnel management for over 10,000 people.
Colonel Hayward entered the Air Force as an airman first class following completion of Basic Military Training in November 1988. After completing computer programmer training at Keesler AFB, Mississippi, he was assigned to the Core Automated Maintenance System Program Management Office at Gunter AFB, Alabama.
Colonel Hayward was commissioned as a second lieutenant following completion of Officer Training School as a Distinguished Graduate in September 1994. He has held numerous leadership positions at the squadron, group, major command, U.S. Air Force Headquarters and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff levels and in deployed locations.
EDUCATION
1987 Bachelor of Science, Business Administration, Bryant University, Smithfield, R.I.
1991 Noncommissioned Officer Preparatory School, Maxwell AFB, Ala. (John Levitow Award)
1992 Associate of Applied Science, Computer Science Technology, Community College of the Air Force, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
1999 Squadron Officer School, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
2005 Master of Arts, Computer Resource and Info Management, with honors, Webster University, St. Louis
2005 Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell AFB, Ala., by correspondence
2011 Air War College, Maxwell AFB, Ala., by correspondence
2016 Master of Arts, Strategic Studies, Air War College, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
ASSIGNMENTS
1. February 1989–June 1994, Computer Programmer, Core Automated Maintenance System Program Management Office, Gunter AFB, Ala.
2. June 1994–September 1994, Officer Trainee, Officer Training School, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
3. October 1994–March 1995, Basic Communications Officer Training, Keesler AFB, Miss.
4. March 1995–July 1996, Chief, Budget and Information Management Section, U.S. Strategic Command, Offutt AFB, Neb.
5. July 1996–October 1997, Chief, Targeting/Production Test Team, U.S. Strategic Command, Offutt AFB, Neb.
6. October 1997–January 1998, Chief, Y2K Test Team, U.S. Strategic Command, Offutt AFB, Neb.
7. January 1998–June 1998, Y2K Validation Team Chief, U.S. Strategic Command, Offutt AFB, Neb.
8. June 1998–August 1999, Executive Officer, 27th Support Group, Cannon AFB, N.M.
9. August 1999–December 2000, Officer in Charge, Network Control Center, 27th Communications Squadron, Cannon AFB, N.M. (September 2000–December 2000, Executive Officer, 332nd Air Expeditionary Group, Al Jaber Air Base, Kuwait)
10. December 2000–August 2001, Flight Commander, Mission Systems Flight, 27th Communications Squadron, Cannon AFB, N.M.
11. August 2001–May 2003, Space Warning Certification Staff Officer, Headquarters Air Force Space Command, Peterson AFB, Colo. (December 2002–May 2003, Crew Commander and Commander, Mission Systems Flight, Combined Air Operations Center, Prince Sultan Air Base, Saudi Arabia)
12. May 2003–June 2004, Chief, Integration Section, Headquarters Air Force Space Command, Peterson AFB, Colo.
13. June 2004–July 2007, Commander, Logistics and Communications Flight, 488th Intelligence Squadron, Royal Air Force Mildenhall, U.K.
14. July 2007–December 2008, Branch Chief, Process Support, Office of Warfighting Integration and CIO, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Pentagon, Washington, D.C.
15. December 2008–December 2009, Commander, Plans and Engineering Flight, 332d Expeditionary Communications Squadron, Joint Base Balad, Iraq
16. January 2010–May 2010, Branch Chief, Business Transformation, Office of CIO and Information Dominance, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Pentagon, Washington, D.C.
17. June 2010–June 2012, Commander, 644th Combat Communications Squadron, Andersen AFB, Guam
18. July 2012–Sep 2013, Operations Officer, J3 Operations Directorate, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Pentagon, Washington, D.C.
19. October 2013–June 2015, Chief, Nuclear Command, Control, and Communications Branch, J3 Operations Directorate, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Pentagon, Washington, D.C.
20. July 2015–May 2016, Student, Air War College, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
21. June 2016–August, Chief, Warfighting Capabilities and Integration Division, Headquarter Air Combat Command, Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Va. (August 2017–August 2018, Cyber & Electromagnetic Activities Chief, CJ3 Operations Directorate, Combined Joint Task Force-Operation Inherent Resolve, Camp Arifjan, Kuwait)
22. August 2018–present, Commander, 14th Mission Support Group, Columbus AFB, Mississippi.
SUMMARY OF JOINT ASSIGNMENTS
1. July 2012–June 2015, Operations Officer and NC3 Branch Chief, J3 Operations Directorate, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Pentagon, Washington, D.C., as a lieutenant colonel
2. August 2017¬–August 2018, Cyber and Electromagnetic Activities Chief, CJ3 Operations Directorate, Combined Joint Task Force-Operation Inherent Resolve, Camp Arifjan, Kuwait, as a colonel
AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
Bronze Star Medal
Defense Meritorious Service Medal
Meritorious Service Medal with four oak leaf clusters
Joint Service Commendation Medal with oak leaf cluster
Air Force Commendation Medal
Joint Service Achievement Medal
Air Force Achievement Medal with oak leaf cluster
Air Force Good Conduct Medal with oak leaf cluster
National Defense Service Medal with oak leaf cluster
Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal
Iraq Campaign Medal with two campaign stars
Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal
Global War on Terrorism Service Medal
Nuclear Deterrence Operations Service Medal
EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION
Second Lieutenant Sept. 30, 1994
First Lieutenant Sept. 30, 1996
Captain Sept. 30, 1998
Major March 1, 2005
Lieutenant Colonel Jan. 1, 2010
Colonel 1 March 2016
(Current as of August 2018)