Colonel JAMIL I. MUSA

Colonel Jamil I. Musa is the Deputy Commander, 86th Airlift Wing, Ramstein Air Base, Germany. As the installation host, the 86AW supports the headquarters for U.S. Air Forces in Europe-Air Forces Africa, Third Air Force, two tenant wings, and more than 120 mission partners, to include the integration of and caring for the greater Kaiserslautern Military Community and its 56,000 U.S. service members and families. As the 86AW Deputy Commander, he is second-in-command of a wing comprised of seven groups and 30 squadrons across four bases in Germany, Spain, Belgium, and Portugal. The 86AW’s mission is to defend U.S. interests, project power, and enable the Global Gateway. The wing conducts USAFE-AFAFRICA’s only airlift, airdrop, and aeromedical evacuation flying operations, providing rapid global mobility and expeditionary combat support for military operations.


Col. Musa received his commission from the United States Air Force Academy in 2003. He has served as a Special Operations Low Level II Instructor, Lead Airdrop Instructor, and Flight Examiner in the C-17A. Additionally, he has deployed in support of Operations ENDURING FREEDOM, IRAQI FREEDOM, and has flown as a Prime Nuclear Airlift Force crewmember. His staff assignments include positions at United Nations Command, Combined Forces Command, U.S. Forces Korea and USAFE-AFAFRICA. Col Musa has commanded an airlift squadron and served as a National Defense Fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School. An Olmsted Scholar to Morocco and Foreign Area Officer, Col. Musa is proficient in Arabic and French. Prior to his current assignment, Col. Musa was the Deputy Chief of Staff at USAFE-AFAFRICA.


EDUCATION
2003 Bachelor of Science, Political Science and Foreign Area Studies, United States Air Force Academy, CO
2008 Master of Arts, Diplomacy, Norwich University, VT
2009 Squadron Officer School, Maxwell Air Force Base, AL
2010 Defense Language Institute, Washington D.C.
2010 Foreign Service Institute, Advanced Area Studies Program, VA
2011 Olmsted Scholar Program, Rabat, Morocco
2013 Air Command and Staff College, by correspondence
2014 Master of Arts, History, Mohammed V University, Rabat, Morocco
2015 Department of Defense Executive Leadership Development Program, Washington D.C.
2017 Mobile Asia-Pacific Orientation Course, Asia-Pacific Center for Strategic Studies, Seoul, Korea
2021 National Defense Fellow, Harvard Kennedy School Belfer Center, Cambridge, MA
2023 Joint and Combined Warfighting School, Joint Forces Staff College, Norfolk, VA


ASSIGNMENTS
1. Aug 2003 – Jan 2003, Executive Officer, 437th Operations Support Squadron, Charleston AFB, SC
2. Jan 2003 – Aug 2005, Student, Specialized Undergraduate Pilot Training, Laughlin AFB, TX
3. Aug 2005 – Sep 2007, C-17 Tactics Pilot, 16th Airlift Squadron, Charleston AFB, SC
4. Sep 2007 – Jun 2008, Executive Officer, C-17 Aircraft Commander, 16th Airlift Squadron, Charleston AFB, SC
5. Jun 2008 – Mar 2009, Command Post Duty Officer, C-17 Aircraft Commander, 437th Airlift Wing, Charleston AFB, SC
6. Mar 2009 – Dec 2009, Tactics Flight Assistant Flight Commander, C-17 Instructor Pilot, 16th Airlift Squadron, Charleston AFB, SC
7. Dec 2009 – Jul 2010, C-17 Instructor Pilot, Group Executive Officer, 437th Operations Group, Charleston AFB, SC
8. Jul 2010 – May 2011, Student, Defense Language Institute, Arlington, VA
9. May 2011 – Dec 2013, Olmsted Scholar, Rabat, Morocco
10. Dec 2013 – Dec 2014, C-17 Instructor Pilot, Director of Wing Training, 62d Operations Support Squadron, Joint Base Lewis-McChord, WA
11. Dec 2014 – Dec 2015, Operations Officer, 62d Operations Support Squadron, Joint Base Lewis-McChord, WA
12. Jan 2016 – Jul 2017, Aide-de-camp to the Commander, UNC/CFC/USFK, U.S. Army Garrison Yongsan, Seoul, Korea
13. Aug 2017 – Apr 2018, Deputy Director, Commander’s Strategic Initiatives Group, UNC/CFC/USFK, U.S. Army Garrison Yongsan, Seoul, Korea
14. Jun 2018 – May 2020, Commander, 7th Airlift Squadron, Joint Base Lewis-McChord, WA
15. Jun 2020 – Jun 2021, National Defense Fellow, Harvard Kennedy School Belfer Center, Cambridge, MA
16. Jun 2021 – Mar 2022, Deputy Chief, International Affairs Division, Plans, Programs and Analysis Directorate, Headquarters United States Air Forces Europe and Air Forces Africa, Ramstein Air Base, Germany
17. Apr 2022 – May 2023, Deputy Chief of Staff, Headquarters United States Air Forces Europe and Air Forces Africa, Ramstein Air Base, Germany
18. May 2023 – Present, Deputy Commander, 86th Airlift Wing, Ramstein AB, Germany


SUMMARY OF JOINT ASSIGNMENTS
1. Jan 2016 – Apr 2018, Aide-de-camp to the Commander and Deputy Director, Commander’s Strategic
Initiatives Group, UNC/CFC/USFK, U.S. Army Garrison Yongsan, Seoul, Korea, as a major and lieutenant colonel


FLIGHT INFORMATION
Rating: Senior Pilot
Flight Hours: 2,970 hours
Aircraft Flown: T-6A, T-1A, C-17A, C-37A


MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
Legion of Merit
Defense Meritorious Service Medal
Meritorious Service Medal with one oak leaf cluster
Air Medal with three oak leaf clusters
Aerial Achievement Medal
Air and Space Commendation Medal with one oak leaf cluster
Joint Service Achievement Medal
Air and Space Achievement Medal


EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION
Second Lieutenant May 28, 2003
First Lieutenant May 28, 2005
Captain May 28, 2007
Major June 1, 2013
Lieutenant Colonel Dec 1, 2016
Colonel May 1, 2022
(Current as of May 2023)