Col. Brendan P. Hopkins is the Commander, 6th Operations Group, MacDill Air Force Base, Fla. He is responsible for the planning and execution of global aerial refueling missions in direct support of the Secretary of War, combatant commanders, and national leaders. He leads a group comprised of 544 Airmen, four squadrons, and 24 KC-135 aircraft, and executes a $7 million budget.
Col. Hopkins was commissioned in the United States Air Force in May 2004 after completing the Reserve Officer Training Corps program at the University of California, Berkeley. Following graduation from joint specialized undergraduate pilot training, he served in a variety of operational assignments as a KC-135R/T, C-21A, and C-17A evaluator and aircraft commander. He has flown combat and combat support missions in support of Operations Enduring Freedom, Iraqi Freedom, New Dawn, and Inherent Resolve, and is a command pilot with more than 3,300 flying hours.
In 2010, Col. Hopkins was selected for Air Mobility Command’s Phoenix Reach program. After graduating from the Air Force Fellows program in 2016, he served as a staff officer at Air Mobility Command and a joint action officer at United States European Command. Prior to his current assignment, Col. Hopkins was a National Defense Fellow at Harvard University.
EDUCATION
2004 Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy, Saint Mary’s College of California, Moraga, Calif.
2010 Master of Arts, Webster University, St. Louis, Mo.
2010 Squadron Officer School, Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala.
2014 Air Command and Staff College, by correspondence
2015 Air Force Fellow, Joint Mobility Fellowship, Scott AFB, Ill.
2015 Supply Chain Management Certification, Saint Louis University, St. Louis, Mo.
2019 Joint Professional Military Education II, Joint Forces Staff College, Norfolk, Va.
2025 National Defense Fellow, Harvard University, Cambridge, Mass.
ASSIGNMENTS
1. June 2004–June 2005, Student Pilot, VT-3 Student Squadron, Naval Air Station Whiting Field, Fla.
2. June 2005–January 2006, Student Pilot, 32nd Flying Training Squadron, Vance Air Force Base, Okla.
3. August 2006–July 2008, Aircraft Commander and Scheduling Officer, 92nd Air Refueling Squadron, Fairchild AFB, Wash.
4. July 2008–February 2012, C-21A Formal Training Unit Evaluator Pilot and Wing Executive Officer, 375th Air Mobility Wing, Scott AFB, Ill.
5. July 2012–July 2015, C-17A Evaluator Pilot and Chief of Command Post, Travis AFB, Calif.
6. July 2015–June 2016, Air Force Fellow, Joint Mobility Fellowship, Scott AFB, Ill.
7. June 2016–July 2017, Assistant Executive Officer to the Commander, Air Mobility Command, Scott AFB, Ill.
8. July 2017–July 2019, Chief of Focal Point Operations, United States European Command, Stuttgart, Germany (operating under the authority of the Secretary of War)
9. September 2019–July 2020, Chief of Wing Safety, 375th Air Mobility Wing, Scott AFB, Ill.
10. July 2020–May 2022, Commander, 458th Airlift Squadron, Scott AFB, Ill.
11. May 2022–July 2024, Chief, Senior Leader Management, Headquarters Air Mobility Command, Scott AFB, Ill.
12. July 2024–June 2025, National Defense Fellow, Harvard University, Cambridge, Mass.
13. June 2025–Present, Commander, 6th Operations Group, MacDill AFB, Fla.
SUMMARY OF JOINT ASSIGNMENTS
1. July 2017–July 2019, Chief of Focal Point Operations, United States European Command, Stuttgart, Germany (operating under the authority of the Secretary of War), as a lieutenant colonel
FLIGHT INFORMATION
Rating: command pilot
Flight hours: more than 3,300
Aircraft flown: KC-135R/T, C-21A and C-17A
MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
Defense Meritorious Service Medal
Meritorious Service Medal with four oak leaf clusters
Air Medal with three oak leaf clusters
Aerial Achievement Medal
Air and Space Commendation Medal with two oak leaf clusters
Joint Meritorious Unit Award
Combat Readiness Medal with three oak leaf clusters
EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION
Second Lieutenant June 2, 2004
First Lieutenant June 2, 2006
Captain June 2, 2008
Major Oct. 1, 2014
Lieutenant Colonel Oct. 1, 2018
Colonel April 1, 2024
(Current as of July 2026)