Colonel D. Scott Durham is the commander of the Air Force Reserve Command's 439th Airlift Wing, Westover Air Reserve Base, Mass. The wing reports to the 4th Air Force at March ARB, Calif., and supports Air Mobility Command's worldwide airlift mission. It is transitioning to eight C-5M Super Galaxy aircraft. As a senior air reserve technician (ART) he is responsible for training and equipping more than 3,000 personnel, including civilians, ARTs, and traditional reservists.
Colonel Durham began his military career as a graduate from The Citadel, The Military College of South Carolina. He served as an Air Traffic Controller, a C-130E Pilot and a C-17A Pilot while on active duty. During this time, he flew numerous combat missions supporting operations in Kosovo, Hungary, Iraq and Afghanistan. Colonel Durham was part of the initial cadre of Special Operations Low Level II qualified C-17 pilots and was a key player in establishing that Joint Chiefs of Staff mission at Charleston AFB, South Carolina. He was commissioned in the Air Force Reserve in May 2003, following 13 years of active-duty service. Among his assignments, he served on the Headquarters AFRC staff as the Command C-17 Evaluator Pilot, as a Director of Operations for a C-17 airlift squadron, the commander of 512th Operations Group, the Senior Executive Officer to the Chief of the Air Force Reserve and the Commander, Air Force Reserve Command and as the Deputy Director for Mobilization in the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Reserve Affairs, Pentagon, Washington D.C. Prior to his current assignment at Westover, Colonel Durham commanded the 512th Airlift Wing at Dover Air Force Base, Del.
EDUCATION
1990 Bachelor of Arts degree in political science, international relations and military affairs, The Citadel, The Military College of South Carolina, Charleston, SC.
1994 Masters of Science degree in public administration, logistics, Georgia College, Milledgeville, Ga.
1998 Squadron Officer School, Air University, Maxwell AFB, Montgomery, Ala.
2004 AFRC Leadership Today and Tomorrow Seminar, Washington D.C.
2004 Air Command and Staff College, by correspondence, Air University, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
2006 Air War College, AU, Maxwell AFB, Ala., by correspondence
2009 Joint Military Operations Course, U.S. Naval War College, Newport, R.I.
2011 Air War College, AU, Maxwell AFB, Ala. in residence
2011 Master’s of Arts degree in strategic studies, Air University, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
2012 Joint Air/Space Operations Senior Staff Course, Joint Special Operations University, Hurlburt Fld, Fla.
2013 Safety and Accident Investigation Board President Course, AF Safety Center, Kirtland AFB, NM.
2014 Middle East and South Asia Seminar, Alan L. Freed Associates, Washington DC.
2015 Reserve Component National Security Course, National Defense University, Washington D.C.
2016 Director of Mobility Forces Course, Air Force Expeditionary Operations School, Hurlburt Field, Fla.
2016 NATO Senior Reserve Officers Course, NATO School Oberammergau, Germany.
ASSIGNMENTS
1. May 1991 - July 1992, Air Traffic Control Officer, 4th OSS, Seymour Johnson AFB, N.C.
2. July 1992 - March 1994, Deputy Chief, Air Traffic Control, 653rd Air Base Wing, Robins AFB, Ga.
3. March 1994 - September 1994, Student Pilot, 37th Flying Training Squadron, Columbus AFB, Miss.
4. September 1994 - May 1995, Student Pilot, VT 31, Naval Air Station Corpus Christi, Texas
5. May 1995 - May 1997, C-130 Pilot, 2nd Airlift Squadron, Pope AFB, N.C.
6. May 1997 - May 1998, Chief, Operations Resource Management/C-130E Pilot, 2nd AS, Pope AFB, NC.
7. May 1998 - May 1999, C-17A Pilot and Chief Squadron Tactics, 17th AS, Charleston AFB, SC.
8. May 1999 - February 2001, C-17A Instructor Pilot and Deputy Flight Commander, Wing Weapons and Tactics, 437th OSS, Charleston AFB, S.C.
9. February 2001- February 2002, C-17A Evaluator and Assistant Chief Squadron Standardization and Evaluation, 17th AS, Charleston AFB, S.C.
10. February 2002 - February 2003, C-17A Chief, Special Operations Low-level Training and Current Operations, 437th OSS, Charleston AFB, SC.
11. February 2003 – February 2006, AFRC command C-17 evaluator pilot, Robins AFB, Ga.
12. February 2006 - August 2011, Director of Operations, 701st AS Charleston AFB, SC.
13. August 2011 - June 2013, Commander, 512th Operations Group, Dover AFB, Del.
14. June 2013 - July 2014, Executive Officer to the Chief of Air Force Reserve and Executive Officer to the Commander Air Force Reserve Command, Pentagon, Washington DC.
15. July 2014 - August 2015, Deputy Director for Mobilization, OASD, Pentagon, Washington D.C.
16. August 2015 – June 2017, Commander, 512th Airlift Wing, Dover AFB, Del.
17. June 2017 – present, Commander, 439th AW, Westover ARB, Mass.
18. February-June 2018, Director of Mobility Forces, Central Command, Al-Udeid Air Base, Qatar
FLIGHT INFORMATION
Rating: Command Pilot
Flight Hours: 5,000+
Aircraft flown: T-37, T-44, C-130E, C-17A, C-5M
MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
Legion of Merit with oak leaf cluster
Defense Meritorious Service Medal
Meritorious Service Medal with three oak leaf clusters
Air Medal with oak leaf cluster
Air Force Commendation Medal with oak leaf cluster
Air Force Combat Action Medal
Joint Meritorious Unit Award with one oak leaf cluster
Air Force Outstanding Unit Award with four oak leaf clusters and valor device
Air Force Organizational Excellence Award
Combat Readiness Medal with silver and bronze oak leaf clusters
National Defense Service Medal with service star
Kosovo Campaign Medal with service star
Global War On Terrorism Expeditionary Medal
Global War on Terrorism Service Medal
Armed Forces Service Medal with service star
Humanitarian Service Medal
Air Force Expeditionary Service Ribbon with Gold Border
Air Force Longevity Service Award with silver oak leaf cluster
Armed Forces Reserve Medal with two 'M' Devices
Small Arms Expert Marksmanship Ribbon (Pistol)
Air Force Training Ribbon
NATO Medal
EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION
Second Lieutenant May 12, 1990
First Lieutenant Nov. 13, 1992
Captain Nov. 13, 1994
Major Dec. 1, 2001
Lieutenant Colonel Aug. 2, 2007
Colonel Feb. 17, 2012
(Current as of July 2018)