Col. Brandon M. Kelly is the Wing Commander, 482d Fighter Wing, Homestead Air Reserve Base, Fla. As the Wing Commander, he is directly responsible for overall management of the installation, to include a squadron of 28 F-16C/D aircraft. His leadership span of control encompasses over 2,300 Airmen, including 165 active-duty Air Force personnel, more than 1,300 traditional reservists, over 240 Air Reserve Technicians and over 280 full-time civilians. Additionally, he oversees the seamless integration of 11 tenant units to include the Florida Air National Guard, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, U.S. Coast Guard Maritime Safety and Security Team, Headquarters Special Operations Command South and a geographically separated detachment of 35 Airmen at Shaw Air Force Base, S.C.
Col. Kelly was commissioned in 1998 as a graduate of the Air Force Reserve Officers’ Training Corps program. He has served in a variety of positions and roles including Assistant Weapons Officer, Navigation Officer, Battalion Air Liaison Officer/Joint Terminal Attack Controller, Flight Commander, Combat Search and Rescue (Sandy1), Forward Air Controller, Mission Commander, Instructor Pilot, Formal Training Unit Instructor, Fighter Group Commander, and Fighter Squadron Commander. Prior to his current position, Col. Kelly was the Reserve Advisor to the Director of Operations, Air Combat Command, Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Va.
The colonel is a command pilot with more than 3,000 flying hours including over 2,800 hours in the A-10. He has deployed in support of Operation SOUTHERN WATCH in Al Jaber Air Base, Kuwait, Operation ENDURING FREEDOM in Bagram AB, Afghanistan, Operation IRAQI FREEDOM with the 10th Mountain Division as a Battalion Air Liaison Officer/Joint Terminal Attack Controller throughout Iraq, and Operation FREEDOM’S SENTINEL in Kandahar AB, Afghanistan.
EDUCATION
1998 Bachelor of Arts in Native American History and Westward Expansion, Brigham Young University, Utah
1999 Aerospace Basic Course, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
2001 Joint Firepower Control Course, Nellis AFB, Nev.
2003 Squadron Officer School, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
2010 Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell AFB, Ala., by correspondence
2013 Masters of Military Operational Arts and Science, Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
2016 Air War College, Distinguished Graduate, Maxwell AFB, Ala., by seminar
2016 Maintenance Mission Generation Course, Langley AFB, VA
2018 Reserve Component National Security Course, Washington, D.C.
2020 U.S. Air Force Accident/Safety Board President Course, Whiteman AFB, Mo.
2021 Leading Strategically, Center for Creative Leadership, Colorado Springs, Colo.
ASSIGNMENTS OR CAREER CHRONOLOGY
1. January 1999-Septemper 1999, Section Commander, 34th Bomb Squadron and 389th Fighter Squadron, Mountain Home Air Force Base, Idaho
2. September 1999-October 2000, Student, Specialized Undergraduate Pilot Training, Columbus AFB, Miss.
3. February 2001-April 2001, Student, Introduction to Fighter Fundamentals, Moody AFB, Ga.
4. April 2001-November 2001, Student, A-10 FTU, 358th Fighter Squadron, Davis-Monthan AFB, Ariz.
5. December 2001-January 2005, A-10 pilot, BALO/JTAC, Chief of Scheduling, 75th Fighter Squadron, Pope AFB, N.C.
6. January 2005-January 2007, A-10 instructor pilot, Flight Commander, 25th Fighter Squadron, Osan AB, South Korea
7. January 2007-January 2008, A-10 FTU instructor pilot, Chief of Scheduling, 358th Fighter Squadron, Davis-Monthan AFB, Ariz.
8. January 2008-October 2008, A-10 FTU instructor pilot (357th FS), Chief of Cyber Programs and Device Trainers, 355th Training Squadron, Davis-Monthan AFB, Ariz.
9. October 2008-December 2010, A-10 FTU instructor pilot (358th FS), Chief of Training, Detachment 1, 917th Operations Group, TFI, Davis-Monthan AFB, Ariz.
10. December 2010-December 2013, A-10 FTU instructor pilot (358th FS), TFI Flight Commander, 45th Fighter Squadron, Davis-Monthan AFB, Ariz.
11. December 2013-December 2014, A-10 FTU instructor pilot, Chief of Standardization and Evaluation, 924th Fighter Group, Davis-Monthan AFB, Ariz.
12. December 2014-October 2016, A-10 FTU instructor pilot, Flight Commander, 47th FS, Davis-Monthan AFB, Ariz.
13. October 2016-December 2017, A-10 FTU instructor pilot, Director of Operations, 47th FS, Davis-Monthan AFB, Ariz.
14. December 2017-June 2019, Commander, 76th Fighter Squadron, Moody AFB, Ga.
15. July 2019 – July 2022, Commander, 476th Fighter Group, Moody AFB, Ga.
16. July 2022 – June 2024, Reserve Advisor to the Director of Operations, Air Combat Command, JB Langley-Eustis, VA
17. June 2024 - Present, Commander, 482d Fighter Wing, Homestead Air Reserves Base, FL
FLIGHT INFORMATION
Rating: Command Pilot
Flight hours: 3,000
Aircraft flown: T-37, T-38, A-10A, A-10C
MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
Meritorious Service Medal with five oak leaf clusters
Air Medal with one oak leaf cluster
Aerial Achievement Medal with three oak leaf clusters
Air Force Commendation Medal with two oak leaf clusters
Air Force Combat Action Medal
Afghanistan Campaign Medal with two service stars
Iraq Campaign Medal with one service star
EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION
Second Lieutenant January 17, 1999
First Lieutenant January 17, 2001
Captain January 17, 2003
Major September 1, 2008
Lieutenant Colonel October 1, 2014
Colonel June 13, 2020
(CURRENT AS OF JUNE 2024)