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Brigadier General Adrian L. Spain is the Commander, 380th Air Expeditionary Wing, Al Dhafra Air Base, United Arab Emirates. The 380th is comprised of four groups and fourteen squadrons. He is responsible for the wing’s air refueling, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, air battle management, control and reporting center, ground attack, air superiority, theatre security cooperation, and airlift missions in support of overseas contingency operations in Southwest Asia.
General Spain entered the Air Force in 1994 through the ROTC program, graduating from Villanova University. He is a Command Pilot with more than 1900 hours in the F-15C and F-22A. He is a graduate of the USAF Weapons School in 2001 and was the Weapons Officer for the 58th FS at Eglin AFB, leading the first missions under wartime ROE while deployed for Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2003. He served as an instructor at the USAF Weapons School in the 433d Weapons Squadron and was the 1 FW Wing Weapons Officer for the first Operational Readiness Inspection of the F-22 Raptor.
General Spain commanded the 94 FS “Spads” leading the squadron’s first operational deployment of F-22s to the Pacific and the first trip to mainland Japan and Korea for the Raptor. He served as Commandant of the USAF Weapons School, building the next generation of leaders and tactical experts covering 18 squadrons & 6 MAJCOMS across all Air Force warfighting domains and mission areas. General Spain also served as commander 53d Wing, Eglin AFB, FL, leading 70+ units across the CONUS devoted to Operational Test and Evaluation (OT&E) programs, weapons evaluation programs, electronic warfare and mission data development across all fighter, bomber, PR, high-altitude ISR, space and electronic warfare programs for the USAF. Prior to his current position General Spain was the Executive Assistant to the Commander, NORAD and USNORTHCOM.
EDUCATION
1994 Bachelor of Electrical Engineering, Villanova University, Villanova, Pa.
1996 Undergraduate Pilot Training, Reese AFB, Texas. Outstanding & Distinguished Graduate
2000 USAF Squadron Officer School, Maxwell AFB, Ala. Distinguished Graduate
2001 F-15C Division USAF Weapons Instructor Course, Nellis AFB, Nev. Flying Award
2005 Air Command and Staff College by correspondence, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
2007 Masters of Science in Systems Engineering, Air Force Institute of Technology, Wright-Patt AFB OH
2008 Air War College by correspondence, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
2011 Masters of Science in National Resource Strategy, Industrial College of the Armed Forces, Fort McNair, Wash. D.C., Mashburn Award Finalist, Antonelli Award Winner
2014 Leadership Development Program, Center for Creative Leadership, Greensboro, N.C.
2015 Enterprise Leadership Seminar, UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School, Chapel Hill, N.C.
ASSIGNMENTS
1. June 1994 - June 1995, Gold Bar Recruiter, University of Delaware, Newark, Del.
2. June 1995 - June 1996, student, undergraduate pilot training, Reese AFB, Texas
3. September 1996 - April 1997, student, F-15C RTU, 2nd Fighter Squadron, Tyndall AFB, Fla.
4. June 1997 - June 1999, 4-ship FL and Combat Plans Officer, 44th Fighter Squadron, Kadena AB Japan
5. June 1999 - July 2001, F-15C Instructor/Evaluator/FCF pilot/Mission Commander, chief of scheduling and ass't chief of weapons, 27th Fighter Squadron, Langley AFB, Va.
6. July 2001 - December 2001, student, 433 WPS, USAF Weapons School, Nellis AFB, Nev.
7. January 2002 - July 2003, Chief, Squadron Weapons and Tactics, 58th Fighter Squadron, Eglin AFB, Fla.
8. July 2003 - July 2004, 57th WG F15C Chief SEFE and SOF program manager, Weapons School instructor, 57th Operations Support Squadron, Nellis AFB, Nev.
9. June 2004 - April 2005, Flight Commander, Chief FCF pilot, squadron SEFE and ADO; Phase Manager for the Air-to-Air Weapons Employment, Low Altitude, Night Employment, Air Combat Maneuvers, and Dissimilar Air Combat Tactics phases, 433d Weapons Squadron, Nellis AFB, Nev.
10. April 2005 - May 2006, Aide-de-Camp to the Commander, USAF Warfare Center, Nellis AFB, Nev.
11. May 2006 - June 2007, Student, Air Force Institute of Technology, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio.
12. June 2007 - April 2008, Chief, 1 FW Weapons and Tactics, Langley AFB, Va.
13. April 2008 - December 2008, Operations Officer 94th Fighter Squadron, Langley AFB, Va.
14. December 2008 - 9 July 2010, Commander 94th Fighter Squadron, Langley AFB, Va.
15. August 2010 - June 2011, Student, Industrial College of the Armed Forces, Fort McNair, Washington D.C.
16. July 2011 - May 2013, Chief, Joint Exercise Division, Alaskan Command and Joint Task Force - Alaska, JBER AK
17. June 2013 - June 2015, Commandant, United States Air Force Weapons School, Nellis AFB, Nev.
18. June 2015 – June 2017, Commander, 53d Wing, Eglin AFB, Fla.
19. June 2017 – June 2018, Executive Officer to the Commander NORAD & USNORTHCOM, Peterson AFB, CO
20. July 2018 – Present, Commander, 380th Air Expeditionary Wing, Al Dhafra Air Base, United Arab Emirates.
SUMMARY OF JOINT ASSIGNMENTS
July 2011 - May 2013, Chief, Joint Exercise Division (J71), Alaskan Command and Joint Task Force-Alaska, JBER, AK, as a Lieutenant Colonel.
June 2017 – June 2018, Senior Executive Assistant to the Commander, NORAD and USNORTHCOM, Peterson AFB, CO, as a Colonel.
FLIGHT INFORMATION
Rating: Command Pilot
Flight Hours: Over 2,150; 129 Combat hours in the F-15C
Primary Aircraft: F-15C/D, F-22A
Aircraft Flown: T-37, A/T-38, F-15A/B, F-16D, F-15E HH-60G, B-1B, B-2A, B-52H, AC-130W, C-130J, KC- 135R, C-17A, QF-4E
MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
2017 Jerome F. O’Malley award, Air Combat Command
Legion of Merit with one oak leaf cluster
Defense Meritorious Service Medal with one oak leaf cluster
Meritorious Service Medal with two oak leaf clusters
Air Medal
Aerial Achievement Medal
Air Force Commendation Medal with 2 oak leaf clusters
Joint Service Achievement Medal
Joint Meritorious Unit Award
Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal
Global War On Terrorism Expeditionary Medal
PUBLICATIONS
US Northern Command’s Role in the Arctic Region, Proceedings, the Coast Guard Journal of Safety & Security at Sea, Summer 2013, Volume 70 Number 2
EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTIONS
Second Lieutenant 1 June 1994
First Lieutenant 1 June 1996
Captain 1 June 1998
Major 1 November 2004
Lieutenant Colonel 1 June 2008
Colonel 1 October 2013
Brigadier General (frocked)
(Current as of July 2018)