Col. John Kelley is the Vice Commander of the 39th Air Base Wing, Incirlik Air Base, Turkey. He is responsible for approximately 3,500 U.S. military, civilian and contractor personnel and the combat readiness of U.S. Air Force units at Incirlik and five geographically-separated units in Turkey. He is also responsible for Base Operations Support Integration (BOS-I) activities for Turkey-based joint and combined combat forces conducting operations in the region.
Col. Kelley received his commission through the ROTC program at Auburn University in 1998. He has flown all types of air refueling and mobility missions to include Treaty Support and special operations air refueling. He has flown in numerous combat operations to include Operation NORTHERN WATCH, Operation ALLIED FORCE, and Operations ENDURING FREEDOM and IRAQI FREEDOM. Prior to his current assignment, Col. Kelley served as the Chief of Nuclear Inspections Division, Headquarters Air Mobility Command, Scott Air Force Base, Illinois, where he led the inspection of all Air Mobility Command nuclear support units to validate their mission readiness status and ensure the effectiveness of their continuous evaluation processes.
Col. Kelley is a command pilot with more than 3,800 hours in the KC-135, T-1 and T-37.
EDUCATION
1998 Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering, Auburn University, Auburn, Ala.
2004 Squadron Officer School, Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala.
2006 USAF Weapons School, KC-135 Weapons Instructor Course, Fairchild AFB, Wash.
2009 Master of Military Science and Operational Art, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
2012 Master of Science in Strategic Intelligence, National Intelligence University, Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling, Washington, D.C.
2016 Air War College, Maxwell AFB, Ala., by correspondence
ASSIGNMENTS
1. August 1998 – July 1999, Special Assistant to the Commander, Detachment 150, University of Florida
2. July 1999 – July 2000, Student, Specialized Undergraduate Pilot Training, Columbus Air Force Base, Miss.
3. July 2000 – January 2001, KC-135 Initial Qualification, Altus AFB, Okla.
4. January 2001 – January 2005, Executive Officer and Instructor Pilot, 906th Air Refueling Squadron, Grand Forks AFB, N.D.
5. January 2005 – January 2006, Training Flight Instructor Pilot, 351st Air Refueling Squadron, Royal Air Force Mildenhall, United Kingdom
6. January 2006 – July 2006, United States Air Force Weapons School, 509th Weapons Squadron, Fairchild AFB, Wash.
7. July 2006 – November 2007, Wing Chief of Weapons and Tactics, 100th Operations Support Squadron, RAF Mildenhall, U.K.
8. November 2007 – November 2008, Operations Support Flight Commander, 911th Air Refueling Squadron, Seymour Johnson AFB, N.C.
9. November 2008 – June 2010, Assistant/Acting Operations Officer, 911th Air Refueling Squadron, Seymour Johnson AFB, N.C.
10. June 2010 – June 2011, Chief, Air Refueling Control Team, 609th Air and Space Operations Center, Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar
11. Jun 2011 – August 2012, Student, National Intelligence University, Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling, Washington D.C.
12. August 2012 – October 2014, Deputy Chief, Analysis Support Division, Sensitive Activities Office of the Secretary of the Air Force, Headquarters Air Force, Pentagon, Washington D.C.
13. October 2014 – July 2015, Operations Officer, 509th Weapons Squadron, Fairchild AFB, Wash.
14. July 2015 – July 2017, Commander, 509th Weapons Squadron, Fairchild AFB, Wash.
15. July 2017 – July 2018, Chief, Force Posture Division, Headquarters Pacific Air Forces, Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii
16. July 2018 – August 2019, Deputy Director for Operations, Directorate of Strategy, Plans and Programs, Headquarters Pacific Air Forces, JB Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii
17. August 2019 – July 2021, Chief, Nuclear Inspections Division, Headquarters Air Mobility Command, Scott AFB, Ill.
18. July 2021 – Present, Vice Commander, 39th Air Base Wing, Incirlik AB, Turkey
FLIGHT INFORMATION
Rating: command pilot
Flight hours: more than 3,800
Aircraft flown: KC-135R, T-1 and T-37
MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
Meritorious Service Medal with four oak leaf clusters
Air Medal with seven oak leaf clusters
Aerial Achievement Medal
Air Force Commendation Medal with oak leaf cluster
Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal
Kosovo Campaign Medal
Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal
Global War on Terrorism Service Medal
Nuclear Deterrence Operations Service Medal
EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION
Second Lieutenant July 11, 1998
First Lieutenant July 11, 2000
Captain July 11, 2002
Major May 1, 2008
Lieutenant Colonel Oct. 1, 2013
Colonel Oct. 1, 2019
(Current as of July 2021)