Col. Leslie S. Hadley is the Mobilization Assistant to the Commander, 18th Air Force, Scott Air Force Base, Illinois. As Air Mobility Command’s sole numbered air force, 18th Air Force ensures readiness and sustainment of approximately 36,000 active duty, Air Force Reserve and civilian Airmen at 12 wings and two geographically separated units. With more than 400 aircraft, 18th Air Force supports AMC’s worldwide mission of providing rapid global mobility to America’s armed forces through airlift, aerial refueling and aeromedical evacuation.
Colonel Hadley entered the U.S. Air Force in 1990 after graduating from the United States Air Force Academy. She commanded the 919th Special Operations Support Squadron and the 711th Special Operations Squadron at Eglin Air Force Base Field 3, Fla. She has held several key staff and operational positions at Headquarters Air Force, Air Force Special Operations Command and Air Combat Command. Prior to her current assignment, she was the 403rd Wing Vice Commander at Keesler Air Force Base, Mississippi.
Colonel Hadley is a command pilot and Combat Aviation Advisor with more than 4,400 flying hours in T-37, T-38, T-1A, KC-135R, RC-135 U/V/W, C-130E, MC-130E, MC-130P, C-145A, and C-130J aircraft. She has flown over 1,300 combat and combat support hours supporting Operations Decisive/Joint Endeavor, Southern Watch, Allied Force, Desert Fox, and Iraqi Freedom. In her civilian capacity, the colonel is an airline pilot with a global airline.
EDUCATION
1990 Bachelor of Science in Legal Studies, United States Air Force Academy, Colo.
1994 Master of Business Administration, Boston University, Boston, Mass.
1996 Squadron Officer School, Distinguished Graduate, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
2008 Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell AFB, Ala., by correspondence
2014 Air War College, Maxwell AFB, Ala., by correspondence
2015 Reserve National Security Component Course, Fort Lesley McNair, Va.
2016 Naval War College Theatre Strategy and War Course, Newport, R.I.
2017 Joint Combined Warfare School, Norfolk, Va.
2020 Enterprise Leadership Seminar, Kenan-Flagler Business School, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, N.C.
2020 Director of Mobility Forces Course, Hurlburt Field, Fla.
ASSIGNMENTS
1. October 1990 – October 1991, student, Undergraduate Pilot Training, Reese AFB, Texas
2. November 1991 – December 1994, Squadron Section Commander (banked pilot), 911th Air Refueling Squadron, Seymour Johnson AFB. N.C.
3. December 1994 – October 1998, RC-135 Instructor Pilot, 38th Reconnaissance Squadron, Offutt AFB, Neb.
4. October 1998 – February 1999, Operations Officer, 763rd Expeditionary Reconnaissance Squadron, Prince Sultan Air Base, Saudi Arabia.
5. February 1999 – July 2000, 55th Wing Operations Group Executive Officer, Offutt AFB, Neb.
6. January 2005 – August 2008, MC-130P Aircraft Commander, Eglin AFB Field 3, Fla.
7. September 2008 – October 2012, MC-130E Aircraft Commander, Eglin AFB Field 3, Fla.
8. November 2012 – September 2014, Commander, 919th Special Operations Support Squadron, C-145A Aircraft Commander, Eglin AFB Field 3, Fla.
9. September 2014 – December 2016, Commander, 711th Special Operations Squadron, C-145A Instructor Pilot, Eglin AFB Field 3, Fla.
10. December 2016 – November 2017, IMA to Headquarters United States Air Force, Special Operations and Personnel Recovery Chief, Pentagon, Arlington, Va.
11. November 2017 – September 2019, IMA to Director, Air Force Reserve Plans, Programs and Requirements, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Pentagon, Arlington, Va.
12. September 2019 – May 2021, Vice Commander, 403rd Wing, Keesler AFB, Miss.
13. May 2021 – Present, Mobilization Assistant to the Commander, 18th Air Force, Scott, AFB, Ill.
FLIGHT INFORMATION
Rating: command pilot
Flight hours: 4,200 including over 1,300 combat and combat support hours
Aircraft flown: T-37, T-38, T-1A, KC-10A, KC-135R, TC-135W, RC-135 U/V/W, C-130E, MC-130P, MC-130E, C-145A, and C-130J.
MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
General Jerome F O'Malley Award for US Air Force "Best Reconnaissance Crew" 1998
Meritorious Service Medal with five oak leaf clusters
Air Medal with two oak leaf clusters
Aerial Achievement Medal with six oak leaf clusters
Commendation Medal with two oak leaf clusters
Joint Service Achievement Medal
Air Force Achievement Medal
EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTIONS
Second Lieutenant May 30, 1990
First Lieutenant May 30, 1992
Captain May 30, 1994
Major June 1, 2006
Lieutenant Colonel Aug. 23, 2011
Colonel Sept. 1, 2016
(Current as of May 2021)