Col. Nathan T. Day is the Mobilization Assistant to the Director of Strategy, Plans, Programs, and Requirements, Headquarters Pacific Air Forces, Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii. In this capacity, he supports the Director and Commander of PACAF by directing a complex portfolio spanning international relations, theater security cooperation, resource programming, and the development of strategy and operational plans. His efforts directly enable PACAF’s primary mission to project decisive air and space power to safeguard and promote U.S. interests throughout the Pacific region.
Colonel Day commissioned upon graduating from the U.S. Air Force Academy in 1999. He completed undergraduate pilot training at Laughlin Air Force Base, Texas, and subsequently served as a T-1A instructor and student evaluator pilot. After seven years of dedicated active-duty service, Colonel Day transitioned to the Air Force Reserve, where he has excelled in diverse leadership roles ranging from Executive Officer to Commander. His extensive staff experience spans Wing, Combatant Command, National Capital Region, and Joint Staff levels. Notably, during the peak of the global pandemic, Colonel Day served as the Chief of the COVID-19 Crisis Management Team, delivering critical daily briefings directly to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
Prior to his current assignment, Colonel Day served as the Commander, Headquarters Readiness and Integration Organization (HQ RIO), and was the Deputy Commander of the 445th Airlift Wing. He has deployed globally in support of operations in Iraq, Qatar, Sweden, and the Republic of Korea. Colonel Day is a Senior Pilot with more than 2,000 military flying hours, including over 100 combat hours in multiple overseas contingency operations. In his civilian capacity, he serves as a pilot with a major commercial airline.
EDUCATION
1999 Bachelor of Science Degree, Civil Engineering, U.S. Air Force Academy, Colorado Springs, CO
1999 Air and Space Basic Course, Maxwell AFB, AL
2003 Advanced Instruments School, Lackland AFB, TX.
2004 Squadron Officer’s School, Maxwell AFB, AL
2015 Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell AFB, AL by correspondence
2019 Master of Military Operational Art and Science, Maxwell AFB, AL
2019 Air War College, Maxwell AFB, AL by correspondence
2020 Joint and Combined Warfighting School – Hybrid, Maxwell AFB, AL
2020 Joint Humanitarian Operations Course, by correspondence, U.S. Agency for International Development
2022 Director of Mobility Forces Course, Hurlburt Field, FL
ASSIGNMENTS
1. August 1999 – June 2000, Training Officer, Dover AFB DE
2. June 2000 – June 2001, Student, Joint Undergraduate Pilot Training, Laughlin AFB, TX
3. July 2001 – October 2001, Student, Pilot Instructor Training, Randolph AFB, TX
4. July 2001 – August 2004, T-1A Instructor Pilot, Student Evaluator Pilot, Executive Officer, Chief Flight Scheduler, Programmer and Assistant Flight Commander, Laughlin AFB, TX
5. October 2004 – February 2005, C-130 Initial Qualification Course, Little Rock, AFB, AR
6. June 2005 – September 2006, C-130 Aircraft Commander, Officer Scheduler, Little Rock AFB, AR
7. September 2006 – July 2013, C-130 Aircraft Commander, 731 Airlift Squadron, Peterson AFB, CO
8. July 2013 – December 2014, Executive Officer, Peterson AFB, CO
9. December 2014 – February 2017, Deputy Chief, Command Post, Peterson AFB, CO
10. February 2017 – May 2021, Deputy Assistant Reserve Vice Director, Joint Operations Planner, Joint Staff J-7, Suffolk, VA
11. May 2021 – September 2023, Deputy Commander, 445th Airlift Wing, Wright-Patterson AFB, OH
12. September 2023 – September 2026, Commander, Headquarters Readiness and Integration Organization, Buckley SFB, CO
13. September 2026 – Present, Mobilization Assistant to the Director of Strategy, Plans, Programs, and Requirements, Headquarters Pacific Air Forces, Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, HI.
SUMMARY OF JOINT ASSIGNMENTS
1. January 2014 – August 2015, Action Officer, J-7, NORAD/USNORTHCOM, Peterson AFB, Colo., as a major
2. February 2017 – May 2021, Deputy Assistant Reserve Vice Director, Joint Operations Planner, Joint Staff J-7, Suffolk, Va., as a lieutenant colonel (March 2020 – September 2020, Chief COVID-19 Crisis Management Team, Joint Staff J-33, Pentagon, Va., as a lieutenant colonel)
FLIGHT INFORMATION
Rating: Senior Pilot
Military Flight Hours: more than 2,000
Aircraft flown: T-37B, T-1A, C-130 E/H3, C-17, EMB190, A320/321
MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
Defense Meritorious Service Medal
Meritorious Service Medal with two oak leaf clusters
Joint Service Commendation Medal with two oak leaf clusters
Air Force Commendation Medal with oak leaf cluster
Joint Meritorious Unit Award
Meritorious Unit Award
AF Outstanding Unit Award with oak leaf cluster
National Defense Service Medal
Global War on Terrorism Service Medal
Armed Forces Service Medal
Armed Forces Reserve Medal with one 'M' Device
OTHER ACHIEVEMENTS
2004 731st Flying Training Squadron Outstanding Instructor Pilot/Officer of the Year
2005 Distinguished Graduate, C-130 Initial Qualification Course
2015 302nd Airlift Wing Outstand Field Grade Officer of the Year
EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION
Second Lieutenant June 2, 1999
First Lieutenant June 2, 2001
Captain June 2, 2003
Major April 15, 2008
Lieutenant Colonel September 1, 2015
Colonel May 10, 2021
(Current as of June 2026)