Col. Richard Engelman is the Deputy Director of Staff, Office of the Secretary of the Air Force Director of Staff, Headquarters Department of the Air Force, the Pentagon, Arlington, Virginia. In this Tier II Senior Executive Service capacity, he serves as a Senior Advisor to the Secretary of the Air Force, Under Secretary of the Air Force, and Secretariat principal officials. He is responsible for integrating Military Services positions into departmental policies and strategy, headquarters correspondence, task, tracking and control. Col. Engelman oversees the Executive Dining Facility, directs protocol functions for the Top-11 DAF officials and provides personnel and resource management support to the offices of the Secretary and Under Secretary of the Air Force.
Col. Engelman entered the Air Force in 1999 as a distinguished graduate of the Reserve Officer Training Corps program. He commanded two large overseas civil engineer squadrons and has led all levels of the Air Force Prime Base Engineer Emergency Force – from initial bare base establishment through sustainment and reconstitution. Col. Engelman has deployed seven times, with service in various countries. He accrued extensive ground combat experience from in lieu of and Joint Expeditionary Tasking as a Combat Engineer under tactical and operational control of the U.S. Army. Col. Engelman's staff assignments include Headquarters Air Force Staff and Secretariat Staff, National Airborne Operations Center Command Staff, U.S. Central Command Headquarters Battle Captain, Headquarters Pacific Air Forces Action Officer, and Group Executive Officer. He is a Joint Qualified Officer with service on the Department of Defense Coronavirus 2019 Task Force and Section Chief, Operations Team One of the National Airborne Operations Center. Col. Engelman has 875 total flying hours in E-4B Nightwatch and E-6B Mercury aircraft.
EDUCATION
1999 Distinguished Graduate, Bachelor of Science, Architectural Engineering with Honors, University of Wyoming, Laramie
1999 Top Flight Graduate, Aerospace Basic Course, Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala.
2004 Top 3rd Graduate, Squadron Officer School, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
2006 Master of Science, Civil Engineering, University of Colorado, Boulder
2009 Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell AFB, Ala., by correspondence with in-residence credit
2014 Joint and Combined Warfighting School, National Defense University, Washington, D.C.
2016 Air War College, Maxwell AFB, Ala., by correspondence
CAREER CHRONOLOGY
1. July 1999–August 2002, Architectural Engineer, 49th Civil Engineer Squadron, Holloman Air Force Base, NM.
2. August 2002–July 2003, Chief Construction Management, 718th Civil Engineer Squadron, Kadena Air Base, Japan
3. July 2003–June 2004, Executive Officer, 18th Civil Engineer Group, Kadena AB, Japan
4. June 2004–August 2005, Readiness Flight Commander, 18th Civil Engineer Squadron, Kadena AB, Japan
5. August 2005–February 2007, Student, Air Force Institute of Technology Civilian Institute Program, University of Colorado, Boulder
6. February 2007–October 2010, Command Facilities Programmer, Installations, Headquarters Pacific Air Forces, Hickam AFB, Hawaii
7. October 2010–May 2013, Section Chief, Operations Team One, National Airborne Operations Center, Offutt AFB, Neb.
8. May 2013–June 2014, Chief of Current Operations, National Airborne Operations Center, Offutt AFB, Neb.
9. June 2014–May 2015, Chief of Staff Actions, Headquarters Air Force, the Pentagon, Arlington, Va.
10. May 2015–July 2015, Director, Executive Secretariat, HAF, the Pentagon, Arlington, Va.
11. July 2015–July 2017, Commander, 786th Civil Engineer Squadron, Ramstein AB, Germany
12. July 2017–July 2019, Commander, 374th Civil Engineer Squadron, Yokota AB, Japan
13. August 2019–May 2021, Branch Chief, Operations, Strategic Basing, HAF, the Pentagon, Arlington, Va.
14. May 2021–October 2021, Deputy Director, Strategic Basing, HAF, the Pentagon, Arlington, Va.
15. October 2021–April 2022, Deputy Director of Staff for COVID-19, HAF, the Pentagon, Arlington, Va.
16. April 2022–November 2022, Special Assistant, DAS Installations, HAF, the Pentagon, Arlington, Va.
17. November 2022–May 2023, Military Deputy, Secretary of the Air Force Special Assistant, HAF, the Pentagon, Arlington, Va.
18. May 2023–January 2025, Senior Military Assistant, Office of the Secretary of the Air Force Director of Staff, HAF, the Pentagon, Arlington, Va.
19. January 2025–present, Deputy Director of Staff, Office of the SecAF DS, HAF, the Pentagon, Arlington, Va.
SUMMARY OF JOINT ASSIGNMENTS
1. June 2004–October 2004, U.S. Central Command J4E Forward Battle Captain, Camp As Sayliyah, Qatar, as a captain
2. December 2006–February 2008, MITT 14 Leader and Chief Engineer-Eastern Zone, 201st Corps, Afghanistan, as a captain
3. February 2010–August 2010, Deputy Commander, 732 EPBS, 36th Engineer Brigade, Iraq, as a major
4. October 2010–June 2014, Various Positions, National Airborne Operations Center, Offutt Air Force Base, Neb., as a major
5. April 2020–July 2020, Department of the Air Force Liaison and Policy Writer, COVID-19 Task Force, the Pentagon, Arlington, Va., as a lieutenant colonel
MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
Legion of Merit with oak leaf cluster
Bronze Star with oak leaf cluster
Defense Meritorious Service Medal
Meritorious Service Medal with three oak leaf clusters
Aerial Achievement Medal with five oak leaf clusters
Joint Service Commendation Medal
Air Force Commendation Medal with two oak leaf clusters
Air Force Achievement Medal with two oak leaf clusters
Air Force Combat Action Medal
Army Combat Action Badge
(Current as of January 2026)