COLONEL PRESTON F. McFARREN
Colonel Preston F. McFarren is the Mobilization Assistant to the Director of Logistics, Engineering and Force Protection, Air Mobility Command, Scott Air Force Base, Illinois. He is responsible to the Director for leadership, strategic direction and integration of Total Force logistics, engineering and force protection activities across the global mobility air forces enterprise. The directorate also provides direct support to 18th Air Force, AMC’s sole warfighting numbered air force, and the U.S. Air Force Expeditionary Center, the Air Force’s Center of Excellence for enroute, contingency response and partnership capacity-building mission sets.
Colonel McFarren earned his Air Force commission in 1991 as a graduate of the Reserve Officer Training Corps from the University of Texas at Austin. A career logistician, Colonel McFarren has in served in logistics, training and operational planning roles in a number of positions. While on active duty he twice served as a squadron operations officer and was selected to the Joint Special Operations Command where he deployed on numerous high-profile actions. Upon assignment to the reserve, he was chosen to command the 26tg Aerial Port Squadron, Lackland AFB, Texas. In the spring 2007, he ran the Department of Defense’s busiest aerial port operation at Balad AB, Iraq and served as the Director of Logistics for the Combined Forces Special Operations Component Command in Kabul, Afghanistan from August 2009 to March 2010. He returned to command in May 2015 at the 953rd Reserve Support Squadron, supporting the Joint Staff and the Joint Enabling Capabilities Command. After a brief stop as the Senior Individual Mobilization Augmentee to the Director of Logistics, Headquarters US Air Force, he assumed his current position in January 2019.
EDUCATION
1991 Bachelor of Arts Degree in Government, The University of Texas at Austin
1992 Basic Transportation Officer Course, Sheppard AFB, Texas
1996 Squadron Officer’s School, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
2000 Master of Arts Degree in Management (w/ Honors), Webster University, St. Louis, Mo.
2006 Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell AFB, Ala., by correspondence
2014 Air War College, Maxwell AFB, Ala., by correspondence
2015 Joint Enabling Capabilities Command Planner Course, Naval Station Norfolk, Va.
2016 Joint and Combined Warfighting School-Hybrid, Joint Forces Staff College, Norfolk, Va.
2017 Reserve Component National Security Course, National Defense University, Ft. McNair, Washington, D.C.
ASSIGNMENTS
1. February 1992 - December 1994, Flight Commander, Vehicle Operations & Combat Readiness, 28th Transportation Squadron, Ellsworth AFB, S.D.
2. December 1994 - December 1995, Flight Commander, Air Freight, 3d Aerial Port Squadron, Pope AFB, N.C.
3. December 1995 - July 1997, Operations Officer, 3d Aerial Port Squadron, Pope AFB, N.C.
4. July 1997 - July 2000, Asst. Chief, Trans Div., HQ Joint Special Operations Command, Ft. Bragg, N.C.
5. July 2000 - July 2001, Operations Officer, 324th Training Squadron, Lackland AFB, Texas
6. July 2001 - August 2002, Flight Commander, Standard Eval, 737th Training Group, Lackland AFB, Texas
7. August 2003 - July 2011, Commander, 26th Aerial Port Squadron, JBSA – Lackland AFB, Texas
8. July 2011 - May 2015, Deputy Commander, 433d Mission Support Group, JBSA – Lackland AFB, Texas
9. May 2015 - July 2018, Commander, 953d Reserve Support Squadron, Naval Station Norfolk, Va.
10. July 2018 - January 2019, Senior Individual Mobilization Augmentee (IMA) to the Director of Logistics, Headquarters US Air Force, Pentagon, Arlington, Va.
11. January 2019 - Present, Mobilization Assistant to the Director of Logistics, Engineering and Force Protection, Air Mobility Command, Scott AFB, Ill.
SUMMARY OF JOINT ASSIGNMENTS
1. July 1997 - July 2000, Assistant Chief, Transportation Division, HQ Joint Special Operations Command, Ft. Bragg, N.C., as a captain
2. August 2009 - March 2010, Director of Logistics, Combined Forces Special Operations Component Command, Kabul, Afghanistan as a lieutenant colonel
MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
Defense Superior Service Medal
Bronze Star
Meritorious Service Medal with four oak leaf clusters
Joint Service Commendation Medal
Air Force Commendation Medal with oak leaf cluster
Army Commendation Medal
Joint Service Achievement Medal
Air Force Achievement Medal with oak leaf cluster
Army Achievement Medal
Joint Meritorious Unit Award with Gold Border
Meritorious Unit Award
Air Force Outstanding Unit Award with four oak leaf clusters
Combat Readiness Medal
National Defense Service Medal with one device
Afghanistan Campaign Medal with one device
Iraq Campaign Medal with one device
Global War on Terrorism Service Medal
Nuclear Deterrence Operations Service Medal
Air Force Oversees Ribbon Short
Air Force Expeditionary Service Ribbon with Gold Border and oak leaf cluster
Air Force Longevity Service Ribbon with silver oak leaf cluster
Armed Forces Reserve Medal with two “M” devices
Air Force Training Ribbon
NATO Medal with one device
Parachutist Badge
Parachute Rigger Badge
OTHER ACHIEVEMENTS
Rating: Basic Parachutist
Number of Jumps: 31
Aircraft Used: C-130, C-141, MC-130P, MH-60, UH-60, DH-6, Casa 212
EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION
Second Lieutenant Oct. 1, 1991
First Lieutenant Oct. 1, 1993
Captain Oct. 1, 1995
Major July 1, 2002
Lieutenant Colonel Aug. 14, 2008
Colonel May 1, 2015
(Current as of January 2019)