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Colonel EDWARD V. SZCZEPANIK

COLONEL EDWARD V. SZCZEPANIK

Col. Szczepanik is the Commander, 6th Air Refueling Wing, MacDill Air Force Base, Florida.  As Commander, he is responsible for the Wing’s worldwide combat air refueling mission and provides installation support to Headquarters U.S. Central Command, Headquarters U.S. Special Operations Command and 32 other Joint mission partners. As the Commander, he is responsible for the security and well-being of the base’s 16,900 employees and their families, along with $2.8 billion in base property and capital assets.

 

Col. Szczepanik earned his commission in 2003 as a distinguished graduate of the Air Force ROTC program at Miami University, Ohio.  He earned his pilot wings in 2004 at Columbus AFB, Mississippi.  Prior to his current position, Col. Szczepanik was the Deputy Commander, 6 ARW, MacDill AFB, Florida.

 

Col. Szczepanik is a command pilot with more than 3,260 flight hours primarily in the C-17A Globemaster III, including over 677 combat hours. His notable staff tours include Special Assistant and Aide-de-Camp to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. His joint assignments include the aforementioned duty in the Office of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and an assignment to the Office of the Secretary of Defense as Strategic and Senior Plans Advisor to the Secretary of Defense. Throughout his career, he participated in numerous operations including UNIFIED RESPONSE, ENDURING FREEDOM, IRAQI FREEDOM and NEW DAWN.

 

EDUCATION

2003 Bachelor of Arts, Miami University, Ohio

2011 Master of Arts, American Military University, Va.

2021 Master of Science, National War College, Fort Leslie J. McNair, Washington D.C.

 

ASSIGNMENTS

  1. May 2003 – June 2005, Undergraduate Pilot Training Student, 37th and 48th Flying Training Squadrons, Columbus Air Force Base, Miss.
  2. June 2005 – October 2009, Chief of Awards & Decorations, Wing Tactics Officer, and Lead Airdrop Instructor Pilot, 8th Airlift Squadron and 62nd Operational Support Squadron, McChord AFB, Wash.
  3. November 2009 – April 2014, Chief of Tactics and Director of Operations, 15th Airlift Squadron, and Special Operations Low Level II (SOLL II) Flight Commander, Operations Officer, and Left Seat Evaluator Aircraft Commander, 437th Operations Group, Joint Base Charleston, S.C.
  4. April 2014 – July 2017, Chief of Joint Readiness Branch, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, and Special Assistant and Aide-de-Camp to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Office of the CJCS, the Pentagon, Washington, D.C.
  5. July 2017 – June 2020, Chief of Wing Safety, 436th Airlift Wing, and Commander, 3rd Airlift Squadron, Dover AFB, Del.
  6. June 2020 – June 2021, Student, National War College, Fort Leslie J. McNair, Washington, D.C.
  7. June 2021 – June 2023, Strategic Plans Advisor and Senior Plans Advisor to the Secretary of Defense, Office of the Secretary of Defense, the Pentagon, Arlington, Va.
  8. June 2023 – August 2024, Deputy Commander, 6th Air Refueling Wing, MacDill AFB, Fla.
  9. August 2024 – present, Commander, 6th Air Refueling Wing, MacDill AFB, Fla.

SUMMARY OF JOINT ASSIGNMENTS

  1. July 2015 – July 2017, Special Assistant and Aide-de-Camp to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Office of the CJCS, the Pentagon, Arlington, Va., as a lieutenant colonel
  2. June 2021 – June 2023, Strategic Plans Advisor and Senior Plans Advisor to the Secretary of Defense, Office of the Secretary of Defense, Pentagon, Washington, D.C., as a colonel

FLIGHT INFORMATION

Rating: Command Pilot

Flight hours: 3,260

Aircraft flown: T-37, T-1A, C-17A, KC-135R/T

 

MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS

Defense Superior Service Medal                                                                                      

Defense Meritorious Service Medal 

Meritorious Service Medal with two oak leaf clusters

Air Medal with four oak leaf clusters

Air and Space Commendation Medal

Joint Service Achievement Medal

Air and Space Achievement Medal

 

OTHER ACHIEVEMENTS

2003 Honors Graduate, Miami University

2003 Distinguished Graduate, Air Force ROTC, Detachment 640

2009 Distinguished Graduate, Squadron Officer School

2021 Distinguished Graduate, National War College

 

EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION

Second Lieutenant May 28, 2003

First Lieutenant May 28, 2005

Captain May 28, 2007

Major May 1, 2013

Lieutenant Colonel December 1, 2016

Colonel April 1, 2022

 

(Current as of July 2024)