Col Christopher A. Prentiss is the Deputy Commander, 436th Airlift Wing, Dover Air Force Base, Delaware. He is responsible for the combined C-5M Super Galaxy and C-17A Globemaster III wing providing worldwide movement of high-priority personnel and cargo. Dover AFB is home to the Air Force Mortuary Affairs Operations, the Department of Defense’s largest aerial port and the Air Mobility Command Museum.
Colonel Prentiss received his commission from the United States Air Force Academy in 2005. He began his career at Vance AFB, Oklahoma, in Joint Specialized Undergraduate Pilot Training before serving as an initial cadre C-17A pilot in the 517th Airlift Squadron at Elmendorf AFB, Alaska. In 2011, he graduated from the C-17A Weapons Instructor Course and was subsequently assigned to Charleston AFB, South Carolina, where he served as Weapons Officer and in key leadership roles in squadron and group operations.
He later served as Aide-de-Camp to the Commander, United States Forces Japan and 5th Air Force, at Yokota AB, Japan, followed by positions in the Operations Directorate for U.S. Forces Japan. He was subsequently selected as a Joint Mobility Fellow, completing assignments with Air Mobility Command & U.S. Transportation Command while studying at Saint Louis University. Following his fellowship, he returned to Elmendorf as the Commander of the 517th Airlift Squadron, leading C-17A global mobility operations across the Indo-Pacific region. He then served as Chief of the Force Development Branch at Air Mobility Command before attending the Dwight D. Eisenhower School for National Security and Resource Strategy.
EDUCATION
2005 Bachelor of Science, Computer Engineering, US Air Force Academy, Colorado Springs, CO.
2011 C-17A Weapons Instructor Course, USAFWS, JB McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, NJ.
2012 Distinguished Graduate, Squadron Officer School, Maxwell AFB, AL.
2012 Master of Business Administration, American Military University, WV.
2017 Joint Forces Staff College, Norfolk NAS, VA.
2018 Air Command and Staff College, by correspondence.
2018 Integrated Supply Chain Management Certification, Saint Louis University, MO.
2018 Joint Mobility Fellowship, Scott AFB, IL.
2024 Master of Science, National Resource Strategy, Dwight D. Eisenhower School for National Security and Resourcing, Fort McNair, Washington, D.C.
ASSIGNMENTS
June 2005 – March 2006, Airfield OPS Lt, USAF Academy, CO.
March 2006 – April 2007, Student, Undergraduate Pilot Training, Vance Air Force Base, OK.
March 2006 – Jun 2011, C-17 Instructor Aircraft Commander, 517th Airlift Squadron, Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, AK.
June 2011 – December 2011, Student, C-17 Weapons Instructor Course, JB McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, NJ.
December 2011 – March 2013, Flight Commander, Squadron Weapons and Tactics, 16th AS, JB Charleston, SC.
March 2013 – August 2014, Deputy Chief, Commanders Action Group, 437th Operations Group, JB Charleston, SC.
August 2014 – May 2015, Chief, Standardization & Evaluations, 16th AS, JB Charleston, SC.
May 2015 – June 2016, Aide-de-Camp to the Commander, US Forces Japan & 5th AF, Yokota Air Base, Japan.
June 2016 – June 2018, Chief, Current & Future Operations Division (J33 & J35), US Forces Japan, Yokota AB, Japan.
July 2018 – August 2019, Joint Mobility Fellow, Scott AFB, IL.
August 2019 – May 2020, Director of Operations, 517th AS, JB Elmendorf-Richardson, AK.
May 2020 – May 2022, Commander, 517th AS, JB Elmendorf-Richardson, AK.
May 2022 – June 2023, Chief Force Development Branch, Air Mobility Command, Scott AFB, IL.
July 2023 – June 2024, Student, Dwight D. Eisenhower School, Fort McNair, Washington, D.C.
June 2024 –June 2026, Assistant Professor, National War College, Fort McNair, Washington, D.C.
July 2026 – Present, Deputy Commander, 436th Airlift Wing, Dover AFB, DE.
SUMMARY OF JOINT ASSIGNMENTS
June 2016 – June 2018, Chief, Current & Future Operations Division (J33 & J35), US Forces Japan, Yokota AB, Japan, as a Major
June 2024 – June 2026, Assistant Professor, National War College, Fort McNair, Washington, D.C., as a Colonel
FLIGHT INFORMATION
Rating: Command Pilot
Flight Hours: More than 4,000
Aircraft flown: C-17A, C-12F, T-1A, and T-6A
MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
Defense Superior Service Medal
Defense Meritorious Service Medal
Meritorious Service Medal with 2 oak leaf clusters
Air Medal with 2 oak leaf clusters
Aerial Achievement Medal
Air and Space Commendation Medal with 1 oak leaf cluster
Joint Service Achievement Medal with 1 oak leaf cluster
Army Achievement Medal
EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION
Second Lieutenant June 1, 2005
First Lieutenant June 1, 2007
Captain June 1, 2009
Major October 1, 2015
Lieutenant Colonel October 1, 2018
Colonel July 1, 2024
(Current as of July 2026)