Col Jamil I. Musa is the Deputy Commander, 86th Airlift Wing, Ramstein Air Base, Germany. As the installation host, the 86 AW supports the headquarters for U.S. Air Forces in Europe-Air Forces Africa, Third Air Force, three 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 86 AW Deputy Commander, he is second-in-command of a wing comprised of seven groups and 30 squadrons across four installations 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. 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, he is proficient in Arabic and French.
Col Musa is a command pilot with more than 3,000 flying hours. He has over 500 combat hours, supporting Operations Enduring FREEDOM, IRAQI FREEDOM, FREEDOM’S SENTINEL, and Combined Joint Task Force-Horn of Africa. He has served as an instructor and flight examiner in the C-17A and has also operationally flown the C-37A, C-21A, and C-130J. 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.August 2003 – January 2003, Executive Officer, 437th Operations Support Squadron, Charleston AFB, SC
2.January 2003 – August 2005, Student, Specialized Undergraduate Pilot Training, Laughlin AFB, TX
3.August 2005 – September 2007, C-17 Tactics Pilot, 16th Airlift Squadron, Charleston AFB, SC
4.September 2007 – June 2008, Executive Officer, C-17 Aircraft Commander, 16th Airlift Squadron, Charleston AFB, SC
5.June 2008 – March 2009, Command Post Duty Officer, C-17 Aircraft Commander, 437th Airlift Wing, Charleston AFB, SC
6.March 2009 – December 2009, Tactics Flight Assistant Flight Commander, C-17 Instructor Pilot, 16th Airlift Squadron, Charleston AFB, SC
7.December 2009 – July 2010, C-17 Instructor Pilot, Group Executive Officer, 437th Operations Group, Charleston AFB, SC
8.July 2010 – May 2011, Student, Defense Language Institute, Arlington, VA
9.May 2011 – December 2013, Olmsted Scholar, Rabat, Morocco
10.December 2013 – December 2014, C-17 Instructor Pilot, Director of Wing Training, 62d Operations Support Squadron, Joint Base Lewis-McChord, WA
11.December 2014 – December 2015, Operations Officer, 62d Operations Support Squadron, Joint Base Lewis-McChord, WA
12.January 2016 – July 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.June 2018 – May 2020, Commander, 7th Airlift Squadron, Joint Base Lewis-McChord, WA
15.June 2020 – June 2021, National Defense Fellow, Harvard Kennedy School Belfer Center, Cambridge, MA
16.June 2021 – March 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.April 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.January 2016 – April 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: Command Pilot
Flight Hours: More than 3,000 hours
Aircraft Flown: T-6A, T-1A, C-17A, C-37A, C-130J, C-21A
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 December 1, 2016
Colonel May 1, 2022
(Current as of June 2024)