COLONEL DANA N. NELSON

Col. Dana N. Nelson is the Mobilization Assistant to the Director, Resources and Assessment (J8), U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, Camp H.W. Smith, Hawaii. She is responsible for representing J8 and all USINDOPACOM organizations in a wide variety of Flag Officer, General Officer, and Senior Executive Service strategic engagements primarily in the National Capitol Region, to communicate command resource requirements. During contingency or mobilizations, Col. Nelson performs full-time duties as assigned in USINDOPACOM J8 battle rhythm events, discussion on critical resource requirements and campaign plan assessment. Additionally, Col. Nelson can serve as acting director.

Col. Nelson received her commission in 1990 following graduation from the United States Air Force Academy. She began her flying career at Robins Air Force Base, Georgia. While on active duty, Col. Nelson flew various models of KC-135s for more than 10 years. In 2002, she joined the Air Force Reserve with the Defense Intelligence Agency as a Foreign Area Air Attaché. She served as an attaché in Slovenia, as an analyst at the Joint Intelligence Center, U.S. Transportation Command and as the Chief of the Survey Analysis Center in Doha, Qatar. In 2005, she joined the 459th Air Refueling Wing, Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, holding various leadership positions to include Chief of Training, Chief of the Exercise Evaluation Team, flight commander and commander of the 756th Air Refueling Squadron. Col. Nelson also served as an Individual Mobilization Augmentee to the Chief, Air Advisor Branch, Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling, Maryland.

Col. Nelson is a veteran of Operations Southern Watch, Allied Force, Iraqi Freedom, Enduring Freedom, New Dawn and numerous other operations and contingencies in support of the nation’s security strategy. Prior to her current assignment, Col. Nelson served as the vice commander of the 507th Air Refueling Wing where she was responsible for the wartime readiness, training and equipping of more than 1,100 personnel in the largest Air Force Reserve flying unit in Oklahoma. In her civilian capacity, the colonel is a pilot with a major airline.

EDUCATION
1990 Bachelor of Science degree in History, United States Air Force Academy, Colo.
1996 Squadron Officer School, Maxwell AFB, Ala., in-residence and by correspondence
1998 Master of Arts degree in Human Relations, University of Oklahoma, Okla.
2002 Reserve Attaché Course, Joint Military Attaché School, Bolling AFB, Md.
2006 Air Command and Staff College, by correspondence
2011 Leadership Today & Tomorrow, Washington, D.C.
2014 Air War College, by correspondence
2014 Reserve Component National Security Course, National Defense University, Washington, D.C.

ASSIGNMENTS
1.  September 1990 - September 1991, Undergraduate Pilot Training, Enid Air Force Base, Okla.
2.  January 1992 - April 1992, KC-135R Combat Crew Training School, Castle Air Force Base, Calif.
3.  April 1992 - August 1996, Copilot/Aircraft Commander, KC-135R/T/Q, 19th Air Refueling Wing, Robins AFB, Ga.
4.  August 1996 - December 1999, Chief of Mission Development/Coronet Planner, KC-135R/T Instructor/Evaluator pilot, 100th Air Refueling Wing, RAF Mildenhall, UK
5.  January 2000 - January 2001, Flight Commander/Combat Crew Training Schoolhouse Instructor, KC-135R, Altus AFB, Okla.
6.  January 2001- October 2002, Individual Ready Reserve, Lowry AFB, Texas
7.  October 2002 - March 2005, Foreign Area Attaché, Defense Intelligence Agency, Bolling AFB, Washington, D.C.
8.  March 2005 - September 2013, Instructor Pilot/Chief of Training/Flight Commander/Chief, Exercise and Evaluation Team, 459th Air Refueling Wing, Joint Base Andrews, Md.
9.  September 2013 – July 2015, Commander, 756th Air Refueling Squadron, Joint Base Andrews, Md.
10.  July 2015 – September 2016, IMA to the Chief, Air Advisor Branch, Headquarters Air Force, Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling, Md.
11. September 2016 – April 2019, Vice Commander, 507th Air Refueling Wing, Tinker Air Force Base, Okla.
12. April 2019 – Present, Mobilization Assistant to the Director, Force Structure, Resources and Assessment (J8), U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, Camp H.W. Smith, Hawaii.

FLIGHT INFORMATION
Military Rating: Command pilot
Flight Hours: More than 5,000 hours in various military and civilian aircraft
Military Aircraft Flown: T-37, T-38, C-12F, KC-135R/T/RT/Q
Civilian Aircraft Flown: Boeing 737/757/767

MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
Legion of Merit
Defense Meritorious Service Medal
Meritorious Service Medal with three oak leaf clusters
Air Medal with oak leaf cluster
Aerial Achievement Medal with three oak leaf clusters
Air Force Commendation Medal
Joint Service Achievement Medal

PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIPS AND ASSOCIATIONS
Women in Aviation International
Women Military Aviators
Air Line Pilots Association

EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION
Second Lieutenant May 30, 1990
First Lieutenant May 30, 1992
Captain May 30, 1994
Major Oct. 1, 2003
Lieutenant Colonel Aug. 11, 2009
Colonel July 1, 2015

(Current as of June 2019)