Col Leland K. “Holie” Cowie II is the Commander, 435th Air Ground Operations Wing, Ramstein Air Base, Germany.  The wing is comprised of three groups, 11 squadrons, and four detachments with more than 1,400 personnel at 11 installations in Germany, Italy, Poland, the United States, and other partner nations across Europe. The Airmen of this wing provide joint Airpower integration, information superiority, and airspace awareness; build expeditionary airfields on demand; enable multi-theater sustainment and support; deliver premier specialty training; build partner capacity and respond to worldwide contingency operations.  

Col Cowie is a 1998 graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy, earned pilot wings in 1999 from Euro-NATO Joint Jet Pilot Training, and qualified as a Joint Terminal Attack Controller at Fort Sill Army Installation, Oklahoma in 2004.  He previously commanded at the squadron and group levels; and has combat experience in three weapon systems: Air Force Special Warfare in Operations IRAQI FREEDOM and ENDURING FREEDOM-PHILLIPPINES, MQ-1B evaluator pilot in Operations ENDURING FREEDOM-AFGHANISTAN and INHERENT RESOLVE, and F-15C flight lead in Operations NOBLE EAGLE and SOUTHERN WATCH.   Col Cowie’s previous staff assignments include the Joint Staff, Air Force Secretariat, Headquarters Air Force, and Joint Strike Fighter Program Office.  He is acquisitions Level I certified for Program Management and Planning, Research, Development, and Engineering.  Prior to his current assignment, he served as the Director of Special Warfare for the Deputy Chief of Staff of the Air Force for Operations.

 

EDUCATION

1998 Bachelor of Science in History with Minor in Military Doctrine, Operations and Strategy, U.S. Air Force Academy, Colo.

2005 Squadron Officer School, Maxwell Air Force Base (AFB), Ala.

2009 Master of Art in Military History, American Military University, Charles Town, W. Va., by correspondence

2009 Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell AFB, Ala., by correspondence

2010 Master of Science in Strategic Intelligence and Graduate Certificate, National Intelligence University, Joint Base Anacostia-

Bolling, Washington, D.C.

2012 Master of Military Art and Science, Theater Operations Concentration, School of Advanced Military Studies, Fort

Leavenworth Army Installation (AIN), Kan.

2012 Fellow, Program for Emerging Leaders and Graduate Certificate, National Defense University Center for the Study of

Weapons of Mass Destruction, Fort McNair AIN, Washington, D.C.  

2014 Air War College, Maxwell AFB, Ala., by correspondence

2017 Master of Strategic Studies, Grand Strategy Concentration, Air War College Grand Strategy Seminar, Maxwell AFB, Ala.  

2025 Fellow, Seminar XXI Program, Massachusetts Institute of Technology Center for International Studies, Washington, D.C.

 

ASSIGNMENTS

1. June 1998 – April 2000, Euro-NATO Joint Jet Pilot Training student, Sheppard AFB, Texas

2. May 2000 – March 2001, F-15C Formal Training Unit student, 95th Fighter Squadron, Tyndall AFB, Fla.

3. April 2001 – March 2004, Chief, Standardization and Evaluations, Assistant Chief of Scheduling, and F-15C Flight Lead, 390th

Fighter Squadron, Mountain Home AFB, Idaho (June 2002 – September 2002, 390th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron, Prince

Sultan Air Base, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia; February 2003 – March 2003, 390th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron, Langley AFB, Va.;

and December 2003 – March 2004, 390th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron, Naval Air Station Keflavik, Iceland)

4. April 2004 – January 2007, Flight Commander, Executive Officer, 3d Brigade/1st Armored Division Air Liaison Officer, and Joint

Terminal Attack Controller, 10th Air Support Operations Squadron, Fort Riley AIN, Kan.  (February 2005 – September 2005,

Multi-National Division—Baghdad Tactical Air Control Party Detachment Commander and Iraq Assistance Group Instructor, 15th

Expeditionary Air Support Operations Squadron, Camp Cooke, Iraq)  

5. February 2007 – March 2008, Flight Commander and F-15C Flight Lead, 67th Fighter Squadron, Kadena Air Base (AB),

Okinawa

6. April 2008 – July 2009, Chief, Wing Scheduling and F-15C Flight Lead, 18th Operations Support Squadron, Kadena AB,

Okinawa (April 2009 – May 2009, Joint Special Operations Task Force—Philippines Tactical Air Control Party Detachment

Commander and Combined Forces Master Air Attack Plan Team Chief, 613th Air Component Coordination Element, Camp

Aguinaldo, the Philippines)

7. August 2009 – June 2010, Intermediate Developmental Education student, National Intelligence University, Defense

Intelligence Agency, Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling, Washington, D.C.

8. July 2010 – June 2011, F-22 and F-35 Operations Program Element Monitor, Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force

for Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics, Air Force Secretariat, the Pentagon, Arlington, Va., and F-35 Current Requirements

Lead, Air System Requirements Integrated Product Team, Joint Strike Fighter Program Office, Arlington, Va.  (concurrently)

9. July 2011 – October 2012, Advanced Studies Group student, School of Advanced Military Studies, Fort Leavenworth AIN, Kan.

10. November 2012 – May 2014, Director of Operations and MQ-1B Instructor Pilot, 15th Reconnaissance Squadron, Creech

AFB, Nev.  (April 2014 – May 2014, 62d Expeditionary Reconnaissance Squadron, Kandahar and Jalalabad Airfields, Afghanistan)

11. June 2014 – May 2016, Commander and MQ-1B Evaluator Pilot, 11th Attack Squadron, Creech AFB, Nev.  

12. June 2016 – May 2017, Senior Developmental Education Student, Grand Strategy Seminar, Air War College, Maxwell AFB,

Ala.  

13.  June 2017 – April 2019, Chief, Strategy Development Branch, Directorate for Strategy, Plans, and Policy (J5) and

Deputy-Battle Captain, Operations Team FIVE, National Military Command Center, Directorate for Operations (J3), the Joint

Staff, the Pentagon, Arlington, Va. (concurrently)

14. May 2019 – June 2020, Chief of Operations, Operations Team TWO, National Military Command Center, Directorate for

Operations (J3), the Joint Staff, the Pentagon, Arlington, Va.

15. July 2020 – June 2022, Commander, III Armored Corps Air Liaison Officer, and Joint Terminal Attack Controller, 3d Air

Support Operations Group, Fort Cavazos AIN, Texas

16.  July 2022 – May 2025, Director of Special Warfare, Air Force Operations (A3), Headquarters U.S. Air Force, the Pentagon,

Arlington, Va.

17.  June 2025 – present, Commander, 435th Air Ground Operations Wing, Ramstein AB, Germany

 

SUMMARY OF JOINT ASSIGNMENTS

1. October 2010 – June 2011, F-35 Current Requirements Lead, Air System Requirements Integrated Product Team, Joint Strike

Fighter Program Office, Arlington, Va., as a major

2. June 2017 – April 2019, Chief, Strategy Development Branch, Directorate for Strategy, Plans, and Policy (J5) and Deputy-Battle

Captain, Operations Team FIVE, National Military Command Center, Directorate for Operations (J3), the Joint Staff, the

Pentagon, Arlington, Va. (concurrently), as a lieutenant colonel

3. May 2019 – June 2020, Chief of Operations, Operations Team TWO, National Military Command Center, Directorate for

Operations (J3), the Joint Staff, the Pentagon, Arlington, Va., as a colonel

 

FLIGHT INFORMATION

Rating: Command Pilot

Flight hours: More than 2,300 including 129 combat hours

Aircraft flown: T-38A/C, A/T-38B, F-15A/B/C/D/E, UH-60L, and MQ-1B

 

MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS

Defense Superior Service Medal

Legion of Merit with oak leaf cluster

Bronze Star Medal

Defense Meritorious Service Medal

Meritorious Service Medal with two oak leaf clusters

Air Medal

Aerial Achievement Medal with nine oak leaf clusters

Joint Service Commendation Medal

Air and Space Commendation Medal with oak leaf cluster

Army Commendation Medal

Joint Service Achievement Medal

Air and Space Achievement Medal

Army Achievement Medal

Air Force Combat Action Medal

German Armed Forces Badge for Proficiency in Gold (Das Abzeichen fur Leistungen im Truppendienst)

Norwegian Military Marching Badge in Bronze (Militaere Marsjmerket i Bronse)

 

OTHER ACHIEVEMENTS

Air Force Special Warfare Officer with combat experience conducting personnel recovery, training partner nation forces, and

integrating joint fires and effects

 

PUBLICATIONS

2018 National Military Strategy.  Washington, D.C.: The Joint Staff, 2018.  

“The Ghosts of Kasserine Pass: Maximizing the Effectiveness of Airpower.”  Joint Force Quarterly, no. 92 (2019): 74-81.

“To Build Joint Command and Control, First Break Joint Command and Control.”  War on the Rocks, 2021.  

 

EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION

Second Lieutenant May 27, 1998

First Lieutenant May 27, 2000

Captain May 27, 2002

Major Oct. 1, 2007

Lieutenant Colonel March 1, 2013

Colonel June 1, 2019

(Current as of June 2025)