Col. Deedrick L. Reese is the 78th Air Base Wing commander at Robins Air Force Base, Georgia. He commands more than 2,700 personnel assigned to three groups, a communications directorate, an operations support squadron, a comptroller squadron and 17 wing staff agencies. He is directly responsible for logistics, medical, civil engineer, security and mission support functions, in addition to managing facilities and equipment valued at $8.1 billion, and executing an operating budget of $170.8 million. He trains, deploys, and redeploys more than 1,800 Airmen annually in support of Air and Space Expeditionary Force and combatant commander requirements. Additionally, Col. Reese serves as the installation commander supporting the base's more than 50 Mission Partners, including a major command, an air logistics complex and three wings on the 6,935-acre installation; Georgia's largest single-site industrial complex. He is also responsible for the safety, security, morale and welfare of more than 22,000 Total Force Airmen assigned to Robins Air Force Base, and 28,000 local dependents and retirees.
Col. Reese was commissioned in 1999 upon graduation from The Citadel, The Military College of South Carolina. He has served in various special operations, mobility, and fighter aircraft maintenance organizations, and has completed staff officer assignments at Headquarters Air Force Special Operations Command, Headquarters Air Combat Command and Headquarters Air Force. Col Reese’s previous command experience includes the 58th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron at Kirtland Air Force Base, the 451st Expeditionary Aircraft Maintenance Squadron at Kandahar Air Base, Afghanistan, and the 27th Special Operations Maintenance Operations Squadron at Cannon Air Force Base. Before his current assignment, Col. Reese was the Commander, 1st Special Operations Maintenance Group, Hurlburt Field, Florida.
EDUCATION
1999 Bachelor of Science, Business Administration, The Citadel, Charleston, S.C.
2000 Aerospace Basic Course, Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala.
2004 Squadron Officer School, Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala.
2005 Maintenance Officer Intermediate Course, Sheppard Air Force Base, Texas
2007 Master of Business Administration, University of Phoenix
2007 Advanced Maintenance and Munitions Officer School, Nellis Air Force Base, Nev.
2010 Air Command and Staff College by correspondence
2016 LOGTECH – Advanced Program in Logistics and Technology, Chapel Hill, N.C.
2019 Air War College, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
ASSIGNMENTS
1. July 1999 – November 1999, AGE Flight Commander, 20th Equipment Maintenance Squadron, Shaw Air Force Base, S.C.
2. November 1999 – August 2000, Fabrication Flight Commander, 20th Equipment Maintenance Squadron, Shaw AFB, S.C.
3. August 2000 – June 2002, Sortie Support Flight Commander, 77th Fighter Squadron, Shaw AFB, S.C.
4. June 2002 – June 2003, Logistics Program Manager-Space Training, Space and Missile Systems Center, Los Angeles AFB, Calif.
5. June 2003 – June 2004, Chief Distributed Mission Operations-Space, Space and Missile Systems Center, Los Angeles AFB, Calif.
6. June 2004 – August 2005, Officer In-Charge Quality Assurance, 352nd Special Operations Group, RAF Mildenhall, England
7. August 2005 – August 2006, Officer In-Charge MC-130 Aircraft Maintenance Unit, 352nd Maintenance Squadron, RAF Mildenhall, England
8. August 2006 – May 2007, Officer In-Charge MH-53M Helicopter Maintenance Unit, 352nd Maintenance Squadron, RAF Mildenhall, England
9. May 2007 – August 2007, Student, Advanced Maintenance and Munitions Officer School, Nellis AFB, Nev.
10. August 2007 – July 2010, Operations Officer, 317th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, Dyess AFB, Texas.
11. July 2010 – June 2012, Commander, 27th Special Operations Maintenance Operations Squadron, Cannon AFB, N.M.
12. June 2012 – September 2013, Chief, Support Systems Branch, Headquarters Air Force Special Operation Command, Hurlburt Field, Fla.
13. September 2013 – May 2014 Executive Officer, Director of Logistics, Headquarters Air Force Special Operations Command, Hurlburt Field, Fla.
14. May 14 – May 15, Commander, 451st Expeditionary Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, Kandahar Airfield, Afghanistan
15. May 15 – June 16, Chief, Weapons Systems Branch, Headquarters Air Force Special Operations Command, Hurlburt Field, Fla.
16. June 2016 – June 2018, Commander, 58th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, Kirtland AFB, N.M.
17. June 2018 – June 2019, Student, Air War College, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
18. June 2019 – June 20, Chief, SOF/Bomber Aircraft Maintenance Branch, DCS/Logistics, Engineering and Force Protection (HAF), Pentagon, Washington D.C.
19. June 2020 – June 2021, Chief of the Command, Control, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Aircraft Division, Air Combat Command, Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Va.
20. June 2021 – July 2023, Commander, 1st Special Operations Maintenance Group, Hurlburt Field, Fla.
21. July 2023 – Present, Commander, 78th Air Base Wing, Robins AFB, Ga.
MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
Legion of Merit
Bronze Star
Meritorious Service Medal with five oak leaf clusters
Air Force Commendation Medal with two oak leaf clusters National Defense Service Medal
Afghanistan Campaign Medal NATO Medal
Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal Global War on Terrorism Service Medal Air Force Expeditionary Service Ribbon with Gold Border
EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION
Second Lieutenant June 06, 1999
First Lieutenant June 06, 2001
Captain June 06, 2003
Major March 1, 2009
Lieutenant Colonel September 1, 2014
Colonel August 1, 2020
(Current as of July 6, 2023)