Leadership biographies

Colonel JAMIL I. MUSA

Col Jamil I. Musa is the 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 also home to the Air 

Force Mortuary Affairs Operations, the Department of 

War’s largest aerial port, and the Air Mobility Command 

Museum. 

 

Col Musa received his commission from the United States 

Air Force Academy in 2003. His staff assignments include 

positions at United Nations Command, Combined Forces 

Command, U.S. Forces Korea and United States Air 

Forces in Europe – Air Forces Africa. Col Musa has 

commanded an airlift squadron and served as a National 

Defense Fellow at Harvard Kennedy School. An Olmsted 

Scholar to Morocco and Foreign Area Officer, he is 

proficient in Arabic and French. 

 

Col Musa is a command pilot with more than 3,800 flying 

hours. He has more than 590 combat hours, supporting 

Operations Enduring FREEDOM, IRAQI FREEDOM, 

FREEDOM'S SENTINEL, and Combined Joint Task 

Force-Horn of Africa. He has served as an instructor and 

flight examiner in the C-17A and has also operationally 

flown the C-5M, C-37A, C-21A, and C-130J. Prior to his current assignment, Col Musa was the Deputy Commander, 

86th Airlift Wing, Ramstein Air Base, Germany. 

 

EDUCATION 

2003 Bachelor of Science, Political Science and Foreign Area Studies, United States Air Force Academy, CO 

2008 Master of Arts, Diplomacy, Norwich University, VT 

2009 Squadron Officer School, Maxwell Air Force Base, AL 

2010 Defense Language Institute, Washington D.C. 

2010 Foreign Service Institute, Advanced Area Studies Program, VA 

2011 Olmsted Scholar Program, Rabat, Morocco 

2013 Air Command and Staff College, by correspondence 

2014 Master of Arts, History, Mohammed V University, Rabat, Morocco 

2015 Department of Defense Executive Leadership Development Program, Washington D.C. 

2017 Mobile Asia-Pacific Orientation Course, Asia-Pacific Center for Strategic Studies, Seoul, Korea 

2021 National Defense Fellow, Harvard Kennedy School Belter Center, Cambridge, MA 

2023 Joint and Combined Warfighting School, Joint Forces Staff College, Norfolk, VA 

 

ASSIGNMENTS 

1. August 2003 - January 2003, Executive Officer, 437th Operations Support Squadron, Charleston AFB, SC 

2. January 2003 - August 2005, Student, Specialized Undergraduate Pilot Training, Laughlin AFB, TX 

3. August 2005 - September 2007, C-17 Tactics Pilot, 16th Airlift Squadron, Charleston AFB, SC  

4. September 2007 - June 2008, Executive Officer, C-17 Aircraft Commander, 16th Airlift Squadron, Charleston AFB, 

SC 

5. June 2008 - March 2009, Command Post Duty Officer, C-17 Aircraft Commander, 437th Airlift Wing, Charleston AFB, 

SC 

6. March 2009 - December 2009, Tactics Flight Assistant Flight Commander, C-17 Instructor Pilot, 16th Airlift Squadron, 

Charleston AFB, SC 

7. December 2009 - July 2010, Group Executive Officer, C-17 Instructor Pilot, 437th Operations Group, Charleston 

AFB, SC 

8. July 2010 - May 2011, Student, Defense Language Institute, Arlington, VA 

9. May 2011 - December 2013, Olmsted Scholar, Rabat, Morocco 

10. December 2013 - December 2014, Director of Wing Training, C-17 Instructor Pilot, 62d Operations Support 

Squadron, Joint Base Lewis-McChord, WA 

11. December 2014 - December 2015, Operations Officer, C-17 Evaluator Pilot, 62d Operations Support Squadron, 

Joint Base Lewis-McChord, WA 

12. January 2016 - July 2017, Aide-de-camp to the Commander, UNC/CFC/USFK, U.S. Army Garrison Yongsan, Seoul, 

Korea 

13. Aug 2017 - Apr 2018, Deputy Director, Commander's Strategic Initiatives Group, UNC/CFC/USFK, U.S. Army 

Garrison Yongsan, Seoul, Korea 

14. June 2018 - May 2020, Commander, 7th Airlift Squadron, Joint Base Lewis-McChord, WA 

15. June 2020 - June 2021, National Defense Fellow, Harvard Kennedy School Seifer Center, Cambridge, MA 

16. June 2021 - March 2022, Deputy Chief, International Affairs Division, Plans, Programs and Analysis Directorate, 

Headquarters United States Air Forces Europe and Air Forces Africa, Ramstein Air Base, Germany 

17. April 2022 - May 2023, Deputy Chief of Staff, Headquarters United States Air Forces Europe and Air Forces Africa, 

Ramstein Air Base, Germany 

18. May 2023 – May 2025, Deputy Commander, 86th Airlift Wing, Ramstein AB, Germany 

19. May 2025 – Present, Commander, 436th Airlift Wing, Dover Air Force Base, Delaware 

 

SUMMARY OF JOINT ASSIGNMENTS 

1. January 2016 - April 2018, Aide-de-camp to the Commander and Deputy Director, Commander's Strategic Initiatives 

Group, UNC/CFC/USFK, U.S. Army Garrison Yongsan, Seoul, Korea, as a major and lieutenant colonel 

 

FLIGHT INFORMATION 

Rating: Command Pilot 

Flight Hours: More than 3,800 hours 

Aircraft Flown: T-6A, T-1A, C-17A, C-37A, C-130J, C-21A, C-5M 

 

MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS 

Legion of Merit with one oak leaf cluster 

Defense Meritorious Service Medal 

Meritorious Service Medal with one oak leaf cluster 

Air Medal with three oak leaf clusters 

Aerial Achievement Medal 

Air and Space Commendation Medal with one oak leaf cluster 

Joint Service Achievement Medal 

Air and Space Achievement Medal 

 

EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION 

Second Lieutenant May 28, 2003 

First Lieutenant May 28, 2005 

Captain May 28, 2007 

Major June 1, 2013 

Lieutenant Colonel December 1, 2016 

Colonel May 1, 2022  

 

 

(CURRENT AS OF MAY 2026) 

 

 

Dover Air Force Base

C-17 Globemaster III 

Dover Air Force Base is located in the "First State" at the center of the Delmarva - Delaware, Maryland and Virginia - Peninsula. Dover AFB is home to the Department of Defense's largest aerial port and approximately 11,000 Airmen and joint service members, civilians and families. Its personnel are responsible for global airlift aboard assigned C-5M Super Galaxy and C-17 Globemaster III aircraft. Additionally, the 436th Airlift Wing hosts key partners, such as the Air Force Reserve's 512th Airlift Wing, Air Force Mortuary Affairs Operations (AFMAO), the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System (AFMES) and the Joint Personal Effects Depot (JPED), jointly responsible for the dignified return of fallen American service members.

The 436th AW, also known as "Eagle Wing," is comprised of more than 3,000 active duty Airmen and answers to the 18th Air Force and Air Mobility Command, both located at Scott AFB, Illinois. The wing owns, maintains and operates C-5M Super Galaxy and C-17 Globemaster III aircraft with a mission to provide rapid global airlift, combat ready Airmen and unrivaled installation support..

The 512th AW, also known as "Liberty Wing," is the Air Force Reserve unit assigned to Dover AFB. The wing assists with maintenance and operation of the C-5M and C-17 aircraft assigned to the 436th AW.

The 436th and 512th AWs fly hundreds of missions throughout the world, providing movement of outsized cargo and personnel on scheduled, special assignment, exercise and contingency airlift missions. Together, they account for 20 percent of the nation's strategic outsized airlift capability, projecting global reach to more than 100 countries.

AFMAO is charged with fulfilling the nation's sacred commitment of ensuring dignity, honor and respect to the fallen and care, service and support to their families. A solemn dignified transfer of remains is conducted upon arrival at Dover AFB from the aircraft to a transfer vehicle to honor those who have given their lives in the service of the country. The vehicle then moves the fallen to the Port Mortuary at the Charles C. Carson Center for Mortuary Affairs. Once positively identified, fallen service members are prepared for transport to their final destination as determined by the family.

AFMES provides the DOD and other federal agencies comprehensive forensic investigative services, to include forensic pathology, DNA forensics, forensic toxicology and medical mortality surveillance. AFMES is not only the single worldwide medical examiner system, but it also supports the entire U.S. federal government.

JPED provides care and support to families and loved ones attending dignified transfers and processes all personal effects of service members from all branches, as well as DOD civilians and contractors killed within theater operations. The only organization of its kind in the DOD, JPED pioneered and advanced the care and handling of personal effects to ensure they are delivered to the Person Eligible to Receive Effects in a presentable and timely manner.

Together these units are referred to as Team Dover due to their cooperative mission requirements.

Official Dover AFB Information

FY23 Economic Impact Assessment

Dover AFB Community ICEMAP

 

Aircraft

C-5 Super Galaxy 

The C-5M Super Galaxy is a strategic transport aircraft and is the largest aircraft in the U.S. Air Force inventory. Its primary mission is to transport cargo and personnel for the Department of Defense. The C-5M is a modernized version of the legacy C-5 designed and manufactured by Lockheed Martin. Currently, Dover Air Force base operates 18 C-5M aircraft. Due to the nose and aft cargo doors, ground crews can simultaneously load and offload cargo from both ends, reducing transfer times. The full-width drive-on ramps at each end enable double rows of vehicles to be transported.

C-5M Super Galaxy Factsheet

 
 C-17 Globemaster III

The C-17 Globemaster III is the most flexible cargo aircraft to enter the airlift force. The C-17 is capable of rapid strategic delivery of troops and all types of cargo to main operating bases or directly to forward bases in the deployment area. The aircraft can perform tactical airlift and airdrop missions and can transport litters of ambulatory patients during aeromedical evacuations. Currently, Dover Air Force Base operates 13 C-17 aircraft. The inherent flexibility and performance of the C-17 force improve the ability of the total airlift system to fulfill the worldwide air mobility requirements of the United States.

C-17 Globemaster Factsheet

MISSION: Project Power, Deliver Hope
VISION: Airmen Making it Count... with a First State of Mind
LINES OF EFFORT: Airmen - Mission - Community

Mission Partners

 

 512th Airlift Wing

 512th

Airlift Wing
 Air Force Mortuary Affairs Operations  AFMAO
 Armed Forces Medical Examiner System  AFMES
 Joint Personal Effects Depot JPED 

AMC Museum

Air Mobility Command Museum