Colonel Douglas D. DeMaio is the Commander of the 187th Fighter Wing, Dannelly Field, Alabama Air National Guard. He is responsible for 1,400 personnel, three geographically separated units, and 22 F-16 aircraft. He earned his commission from the United States Air Force Academy in 1991, attended Euro-NATO Joint-Jet Pilot Training at Sheppard Air Force Base, Texas, and has served in various roles as an F-16 Instructor Pilot and Flight Examiner at the squadron, group, and wing levels. Colonel DeMaio commanded the 55th Fighter Squadron at Shaw Air Force Base, South Carolina, deploying to Balad Air Base, Iraq, and later commanded the NATO Deployable Air Operations Center at Poggio Renatico, Italy. He is a graduate of the US Army’s Command and General Staff College and School of Advanced Military Studies, Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, and the Eisenhower School for National Security, Fort McNair, Washington D.C., earning Masters Degrees in Theater Operations and Long Term Strategy. As the Vice Commander of the LeMay Center for Doctrine, he served as a founding member of the Chief of Staff of the Air Force’s Air Superiority, Multi-Domain Command and Control, and Electronic Warfare/Electromagnetic Spectrum Enterprise Capabilities Collaboration Teams. He coauthored the Department of the Air Force’s Joint All-Domain Operations Doctrine, penned Counterspace Doctrine, and assisted the Space Force with doctrine and concepts. Colonel DeMaio is a Command Pilot with over 2,800 flight hours in the F-16 and a veteran of five combat deployments to Southwest Asia.
EDUCATION
1991 Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry, U.S. Air Force Academy, Colorado Springs, Colo.
1995 Squadron Officer School, Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala.
2001 Master of Aviation Sciences, Embry Riddle Aeronautical University, Daytona Beach, Fla.
2004 U.S. Army Command and General Staff College, Fort Leavenworth, Kan.
2005 Master of Military Arts & Sciences, School of Advanced Military Studies, Fort Leavenworth, Kan.
2007 Air War College by correspondence, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
2011 Master of Science Degree in Long Term Strategy Development, Eisenhower School for National Security, Fort McNair, Washington, D.C.
ASSIGNMENTS
1. September 1991 – October 1992, Student Pilot, Sheppard Air Force Base, Texas
2. October 1992 – October 1994, Vehicle Maintenance and Operations Flight Commander, 56th Transportation Squadron, Luke AFB, Ariz.
3. July 1995 – April 1996, Student, F-16 Basic Operational Course, 61st Fighter Squadron, Luke AFB, Ariz.
4. March 1996 – May 1997, Chief of Plans and Programs, 35th Fighter Squadron, Kunsan Air Base, Republic of Korea
5. May 1997 – January 2000, F-16 Instructor Pilot, Wing Chief of Scheduling, and Flight Commander, 421st Fighter Squadron, Hill AFB, Utah
6. January 2000 – September 2002, F-16 Flight Examiner, Instructor Pilot, Chief of Standards and Evaluations, Flight Commander, and Assistant Director of Operations, 21st Fighter Squadron, Luke AFB, Ariz.
7. August 2002 – June 2003, Instructor Pilot, and standards and evaluations liaison officer, 119th Fighter Squadron, Atlantic City Municipal Airport, N.J.
8. June 2003 – September 2004, Student, Command and General Staff College, Fort Leavenworth, Kan.
9. September 2004 – May 2005, Student, School of Advanced Military Studies, Fort Leavenworth, Kan.
10. June 2005 – June 2006, Chief, 7th Air Force Commander’s Action Group; Executive Officer to the 7th Air Force Vice Commander; Deputy Chief, Strategy Division, 607th Air Operations Center, Osan AB, ROK
11. Oct 2006 – June 2011, F-16 Flight Examiner, instructor pilot, and Chief of Standards and Evaluations, 20th Operations Group; Chief of Safety, 20th Fighter Wing; Director of Operations, 77th Fighter Squadron; Commander, 55th Fighter Squadron; and Director of Staff, 20th Fighter Wing, Shaw AFB, S.C.
12. June 2011 – July 2012, Student, Eisenhower School for National Security, Fort McNair, Washington, D.C.
13. July 2012 – July 2014, Director, NATO Deployable Air Operations Center, Poggio Renatico, Italy
14. August 2014 – August 2020, Vice Commander and Director of Doctrine Development, LeMay Center for Doctrine Development, Lessons Learned, and Education, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
15. November 2020 – May 2021, Chief of Staff, Alabama Air National Guard, Joint Force Headquarters, Montgomery, Ala.
16. May 2021 - Pressent, Commander, 187th Fighter Wing, Dannelly Airfield, Montgomery, Ala.
SUMMARY OF JOINT ASSIGNMENTS
1. July 2012 - August 2014, Director, NATO Deployable Air Operations Center, Poggio Renatico, Italy, as a Colonel
FLIGHT INFORMATION
Rating: Command Pilot
Flight hours: More than 3,100
Aircraft flown: F-16 A/B/C/D, AT-38, T-38, and T-37
MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
Defense Superior Service Medal
Legion of Merit
Meritorious Service Medal with six oak leaf clusters
Air Medal with six oak leaf clusters
Aerial Achievement Medal with four oak leaf clusters
Joint Service Commendation Medal
Air Force Commendation Medal with oak leaf cluster
Joint Meritorious Unit Award
Meritorious Unit Award with two oak leaf clusters
Air Force Outstanding Unit Award with valor and four oak leaf clusters
EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION
Second Lieutenant 29 May, 1991
First Lieutenant 29 May, 1993
Captain 29 May, 1995
Major 1 March, 2002
Lieutenant Colonel 1 March, 2007
Colonel 1 October, 2012
(Current as of June 2022)