Colonel Fann is the Deputy Commander, 380th Air Expeditionary Wing, Al Dhafra Air Base, United Arab Emirates. The 380th AEW is comprised of 12 squadrons, an air staff, and a special staff. As the Deputy Commander, he is responsible for managing the wing’s staff functions and assisting the commander in executing the wing’s armed overwatch mission, encompassing intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, and control reporting center assets, as well as theater security cooperation and ACE/DFE and missions in direct support of U.S. Air Forces Central and U.S. Central Command priorities.
Col Fann received his commission from Officer Training School at Maxwell AFB in 2001 and completed pilot training at Columbus AFB. After pilot training, he qualified in and led combat sorties as a B-1B Aircraft Commander during Operation ENDURING FREEDOM. Additionally, Col Fann served as an MQ-1 Chief of Standardization and Evaluation. Which led to his selection as the US Air Forces Europe-Air Forces Africa Command MQ-1 Evaluator Pilot and Executive Officer for the Director of Operations, Strategic Deterrence and Nuclear Integration. Post staff assignment, Col Fann served as Director of Operations for the 15th Attack Squadron at Creech AFB, NV and had the honor of Commanding the 62d Expeditionary Attack Squadron, Kandahar Airfield, Afghanistan. Prior to his current assignment, Col Fann served as a Fellow at the Weatherhead Center for International Affairs at Harvard University.
Col Fann has deployed five times to the Middle East. He is a Command Pilot with over 2500 hours, including 966 combat hours in the MQ-1, MQ-9 and B-1B.
EDUCATION
1997 Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration and Management, California State University, Fullerton
2001 Officer Training School, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
2007 Squadron Officer School, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
2011 Master of Science degree in Aeronautical Science, Embry Riddle Aeronautical University
2012 Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell AFB, Ala., by correspondence
2020 Air War College, Maxwell AFB, Ala., correspondence.
2023 Air War College, Fellow, Weatherhead Center for International Affairs, Harvard University, Cambridge, Mass.
ASSIGNMENTS
1. Oct 2001 – Oct 2002, student, Undergraduate Pilot Training, Columbus AFB, Mississippi
2. Jan 2003 – Aug 2003, student, B-1 Formal Training Unit, Dyess AFB, Texas
3. Sep 2003 – Jun 2005, B-1 Pilot, 9th Bomb Squadron, Dyess AFB, Texas
4. Jul 2005 – Jul 2007, Air Liaison Officer and Assistant Director of Operations, 12th Combat Training Squadron, Fort Irwin National Training Center, California
5. Jul 2007 – Nov 2009, B-1 Aircraft Commander and Flight Commander, 34th Bomb Squadron, Ellsworth AFB, South Dakota
6. Dec 2009 – Apr 2013, MQ-1B Flight Examiner and Chief of Stan Eval, 18th Reconnaissance Squadron, Creech AFB, Nevada
7. Apr 2013 – Apr 2015, MQ-1B Evaluator Pilot and Executive Officer for the Director of Operations, Strategic Deterrence and Nuclear Integration, United States Air Forces Europe-Africa
8. Apr 2015 – Jan 2016, Assistant Director of Operations, 432d OSS, Creech AFB, Nevada
9. Jan 2016 – Oct 2016, Director of Operations, 15th Attack Squadron, Creech AFB, Nevada
10. Mar 2017 – Mar 2018, Commander, 62d Expeditionary Attack Squadron, Kandahar Airfield, Afghanistan
11. Apr 2018 – Jun 2019, Director of Staff, 432 Wing/AEW, Creech AFB, Nevada
12. July 2019 – Jul 2020, Deputy Branch Chief, HQ Pacific Air Forces Reconnaissance Operations Branch
13. Jul 2020 – Oct 2021, Director Commander’s Action Group, HQ PACAF, Joint Base Pearl Harbor- Hickam, Hawaii
14. Oct 2021 – Jun 2022, Deputy Division Chief Exercise Division, HQ PACAF, Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii
15. Jul 2022 – June 2023, Fellow, Weatherhead Center for International Affairs, Harvard University, Cambridge, Mass
16. June 2023 – Present, Deputy Commander, 380th Air Expeditionary Wing, Al Dhafra Air Base, United Arab Emirates
FLIGHT INFORMATION
Rating: Command Pilot
Flight Hours: More than 2,500
Aircraft Flown: T-37, T-38, B-1B, MQ-1B, MQ-9
MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
Bronze Star Medal
Meritorious Service Medal with three oak leaf clusters
Air Medal with two oak leaf clusters
Aerial Achievement Medal Army Commendation Medal
Air Force Commendation Medal with two oak leaf clusters
EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION
Second Lieutenant Jun 28, 2001
First Lieutenant Jun 28, 2003
Captain Jun 2, 2005
Major Sep 1, 2011
Lieutenant Colonel Sep 1, 2016
Colonel Jun 1, 2022