Colonel Dag Anderson is Commander of the 58th Special Operations Wing, Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico. The wing trains mission-ready special operations, combat search and rescue, nuclear security/support and distinguished visitor aircrews as well as conducting SERE, Survival Specialist and Combat Rescue Officer Training for the world's best aerospace force. He oversees the activities of 2,600 Airmen, administering more than 118 training courses in 32 different crew positions, and training 20,000 students annually.
A graduate of Washington University in St. Louis, Colonel Anderson was commissioned through the Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps program. He has flown the KC-135R, MC-130E, and U-28A operationally, and has participated in several contingencies to include Operations Provide Comfort, Deny Flight, Deliberate Guard, Allied Force, Enduring Freedom, and Iraqi Freedom. He also served as the commander of the 319th Expeditionary Special Operations Squadron leading U-28A combat operations in Iraq and Afghanistan where he supervised over 1,800 flights accumulating over 10,000 hours with operations from three separate locations. He was a Fellow at the Weatherhead Center for International Affairs at Harvard University, was an Olmsted Scholar in the Czech Republic, and has completed joint staff tours at United States Special Operations Command and in the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy.
EDUCATION
1992 Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering, Washington University in St. Louis
1997 Squadron Officer School
2003 Masters in International Public Policy, Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies, Johns Hopkins University
2003 Air Command and Staff College (Correspondence)
2009 Air War College (Correspondence)
2010 Fellow, Weatherhead Center for International Affairs, Harvard University
ASSIGNMENTS
1. May 1993 - June 1994, Euro-NATO Joint Jet Pilot Training, Sheppard AFB, TX
2. October 1994 - September 1996, KC-135R Pilot, 91st Air Refueling Squadron, Malmstrom AFB, MT
3. September 1996 - May 1999, KC-135R/T Instructor/Evaluator/Chief Pilot, 91st Air Refueling Squadron, MacDill AFB, FL
4. June 1999 - May 2000, Student, Czech Language, Defense Language Institute, Monterey, CA
5. June 2000 - July 2002, Olmsted Scholar, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic
6. August 2002 - May 2003, Student, Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies, Johns Hopkins University, Washington DC
7. September 2003 - September 2005, Chief of Current Operations, MC-130E, 8th Special Operations Squadron, Duke Field, FL
8. September 2005 - August 2007, Deputy Director of the Commander's Action Group, Aide-de-Camp to the Commander, United States Special Operations Command, MacDill AFB, FL
9. October 2007 - April 2009, Operations Officer, 319th Special Operations Squadron, Hurlburt Field, FL
10. April 2009 - June 2010, Commander, 19th Special Operations Squadron, Hurlburt Field, FL
11. Jul 2010 - Jul 2011, Fellow Weatherhead Center for International Affairs, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA
12. Jul 2011 - Jul 2013, Commander, 58th Operations Group, Kirtland AFB, NM
13. Jul 2013- Jun 2014, Senior Aviation Advisor for Counter-Terrorism Operations, Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy, Special Operations/Low-Intensity Conflict, Pentagon, Washington DC
14. July 2014- Present, Commander, 58th Special Operations Wing, Kirtland AFB, NM
FLIGHT INFORMATION
Rating: Command Pilot
Flight Hours: 3,400+ (738 combat)
Aircraft Flown: T-37; T-38; KC-135R/T; C-130E; MC-130E/H/P/J; HC-130P/N/J; AC-130U; UH-1N; TH-1; HH-60; Mi-17; MH-6; MV-22; CV-22; PC-12; U-28A
MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
Legion of Merit
Bronze Star
Defense Meritorious Service Medal
Meritorious Service Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster
Air Medal with seven Oak Leaf Clusters
Aerial Achievement Medal with three Oak Leaf Clusters
EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION
Second Lieutenant May 1992
First Lieutenant November 1994
Captain November 1996
Major May 2003
Lieutenant Colonel December 2006
Colonel October 2010