Colonel M. Zane Hershey

Col M. Zane Hershey is the Deputy Commander of the 379th Air Expeditionary Wing, Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar. In this capacity, he supports the readiness and effective utilization of 5,400 Air Force, joint, and coalition forces as well as 55 mission partners at the largest composite wing within the Middle Eastern theater of operations. The 379th AEW encompasses airlift; aerial refueling; intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance; and aeromedical evacuation assets supporting operations INHERENT RESOLVE and SPARTAN SHIELD 

Prior to assuming his current position, Col Hershey was the Division Chief, Warfighter Training and Exercises, Readiness and Training Directorate, Headquarters United States Air Force, the Pentagon, Arlington, Virginia.

He is a command pilot with more than 3,500 flight hours and 866 combat hours in operations ENDURING FREEDOM, IRAQI FREEDOM, NEW DAWN, FREEDOM’S SENTINEL, ALLIES REFUGE and Combined/Joint Task Force HORN OF AFRICA.

EDUCATION
2006 Bachelor of Science, Civil Engineering, U.S. Air Force Academy, Colorado Springs, Colo.
2006 Air and Space Basic Course, Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala.
2013 Squadron Officer School, Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala.
2013 Master of Business Administration, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, Okla.
2017 Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell AFB, Ala., by correspondence
2018 Master of Science in Transportation Management, Air Force Institute of Technology, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio
2019 Master of Philosophy in Military Strategy, School of Advanced Air and Space Studies, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
2023 Master of Science in National Security Strategy, National War College, Fort McNair, Washington, D.C.

ASSIGNMENTS
1. July 2006-January 2007, Standards and Evaluation Liaison Officer, 20th Operations Group, Shaw Air Force Base, S.C.
2. January 2007-January 2008, student, Undergraduate Pilot Training, Whiting Field Naval Air Station, Fla.
3. January 2008--August 2008, student, Undergraduate Pilot Training, Vance AFB, Okla.
4. August 2008-March 2009, student, C-17A Initial Qualification Training, Altus AFB, Okla.
5. March 2009-December 2012, C-17A instructor pilot, assistant flight commander, Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash.
6. December 2012-May 2017, C-17A Formal Training Unit evaluator pilot, wing executive officer, Altus AFB, Okla.
7. May 2017-June 2018, Student, Advanced Study of Air Mobility course, Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, N.J.
8. June 2018-July 2019, Student, School of Advanced Air and Space Studies, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
9. July 2019-June 2020, Airpower Strategist, Futures and Concepts Division, Air Force Warfighting Integration Capability, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Washington, D.C.
10. June 2020-June 2022, Commander, 3rd Airlift Squadron, Dover AFB, Del.
11. June 2022-June 2023, Student, National War College, Fort McNair, Washington, D.C.
12. June 2023-May 2025, Deputy Chief, Actions Division, Secretariat, Joint Staff, the Pentagon, Arlington, Va.
13. June 2025-May 2025, Division Chief, Warfighter Training and Exercises Directorate, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, the Pentagon, Arlington, Va.
14. May 2026-Present, Deputy Commander, 379th Air Expeditionary Wing, Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar