COLONEL BENJAMIN D. PHILLIPS

Col. Benjamin D. Phillips is Mobilization Assistant to the Director of Plans, Programs and Requirements, Headquarters Air Education and Training Command, Joint Base San Antonio Randolph, Texas. He oversees all planning, programming and requirements functions for the service’s largest MAJCOM with over 61,000 personnel assigned and a budget of $7B. 

Colonel Phillips was commissioned through the ROTC program at the University of Missouri, serving the regular Air Force as an air traffic controller, F-15E pilot, flight instructor, evaluator, and Presidential Advance Agent. He transitioned to Air Force Reserve in 2005, managing fast-paced acquisition programs for special mission customers at the Space Warfare Center. He has served in a variety of senior government and private sector roles in the fields of strategy development, special program oversight, innovation and rapid technology development. Prior to assuming his current duties he was Individual Mobilization Augmentee to the Deputy Director of Operations, Headquarters USSOUTHCOM.

In his civilian capacity, Colonel Phillips is the Managing Director, USAF Center for Strategy and Technology and the Air Force Chief of Staff’s resident think tank, Blue Horizons.

EDUCATION
1993 Bachelor of Science degree in physics, University of Missouri, Columbia
2001 Squadron Officer School, Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala.
2003 Master of Arts degree in political science, Midwestern State University, Wichita Falls, Texas
2004 Air Command and Staff College, by correspondence
2011 Air War College, by correspondence
2014 Master of Business Administration degree, Sloan School of Management, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge

ASSIGNMENTS
1. June 1994 - August 1995, Student, air traffic control officer training, Keesler Air Force Base, Miss. and later, Shaw Air Force Base, S.C.
2. September 1995 - May 1997, Deputy Airfield Operations Flight Commander, Whiteman Air Force Base, Mo.
3. June 1997 - May 1998, Student, specialized undergraduate pilot training, Vance Air Force Base, Okla.
4. June 1998 - Apr 1999, Student, F-15E qualification training, Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, N.C.
5. May 1999 - June 2001, Chief of Safety and F-15E Pilot, RAF Lakenheath, United Kingdom.
6. July 2001 - August 2005, T-37 Flight Examiner and Flight Commander, Sheppard Air Force Base, Texas,
7. September 2005 - September 2010, Individual Mobilization Augmentee to the Director, and Irregular Warfare Branch Chief, Air Force Tactical Exploitation of National Capabilities, Schriever Air Force Base, Colo.
8. October 2010 - May 2014, F-22 Program Element Monitor, Global Power Programs Directorate, Assistant Secretary of the Air Force (Acquisition), Arlington, Va.
9. June 2014 - June 2017, Associate Director, Materials and Manufacturing Directorate, Air Force Research Laboratory, Wright Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio.
10. July 2017 - November 2018, Individual Mobilization Augmentee to the Deputy Director of Operations, Headquarters United States Southern Command, Doral, Fla.
11. December 2018 - present, Mobilization Assistant to the Director, Plans, Programs and Requirements, Headquarters Air Education and Training Command, Joint Base San Antonio Randolph, Texas.

SUMMARY OF JOINT ASSIGNMENTS
1. July 2017 - November 2018, Individual Mobilization Augmentee to the Deputy Director of Operations, Headquarters United States Southern Command, Doral, Fla. (as a colonel)

FLIGHT INFORMATION
Rating: Senior pilot
Flight hours: More than 1,500
Aircraft flown: T-37B, T-38A, F-15E

MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
Defense Meritorious Service Medal
Meritorious Service Medal with three oak leaf clusters
Air Force Commendation Medal
Joint Meritorious Unit Award

OTHER ACHIEVEMENTS
Distinguished Graduate, Air Traffic Control Officer Training Program
Distinguished Graduate, Specialized Undergraduate Pilot Training
80th Flying Training Wing Company Grade Officer of the Year
Space Warfare Center IMA of the Year
Assistant Secretary of the Air Force (Acquisition) IMA of the Year
Air University Team of the Year
Major General John R. Alison Trophy for Air Force Innovation (Team)

EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION
Second Lieutenant August 6, 1993
First Lieutenant January 9, 1996
Captain January 9, 1998
Major April 1, 2004
Lieutenant Colonel August 11, 2009
Colonel July 18, 2014

(Current as of June 2020)