Col Brian C. Thomasson is the Commander, 60th Operations Group, Travis Air Force Base, California. He is directly responsible for the daily operations of the largest Air Mobility Wing in the Air Force. With over 1,200 active-duty and civilian personnel and $13 billion in assets, the group is tasked with operating 18 C-5, 13 C-17, and up to 24 KC-46 aircraft providing rapid global mobility to Combatant Commanders worldwide, as well as providing rapid transport patient movement across the full spectrum of the Theater Aeromedical Evacuation System. Colonel Thomasson directs all operations support activities, to include an operations support squadron providing air traffic control, weather, intelligence, flight management support, aircrew flight equipment and other scheduling and training functions.
Col Thomasson was commissioned through the ROTC program at the University of Virginia. He served multiple tours in the C-17 as an Instructor, Evaluator, and Weapons Officer in Airland, Lead Airdrop, Special Operations Low-Level, and Antarctic Operations missions. Col Thomasson deployed multiple times in support of operations in Iraq, Afghanistan, Africa, and Syria. He commanded AMC’s largest Operations Support Squadron, which included Travis AFB’s KC-10 Formal Training Unit. Prior to his current assignment, Col Thomasson was Director of the AMC Commander’s Initiative Group. Col Thomasson is a Command Pilot with over 4,400 flight hours (primarily in the C-17A and E-11A) and has conducted Air Force flying operations on every continent.
EDUCATION
2002 US Army Basic Airborne Course, Ft Benning, Ga.
2003 Bachelor of Arts in Cognitive Science, Neuroscience focus, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Va.
2003 Air and Space Basic Course, Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala.
2010 Squadron Officer School, Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala.
2010 Master of Science in International Relations, Troy University, Troy, Ala.
2011 US Air Force Weapons School, Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, N.J. and Nellis AFB, Nev.
2016 Master of Military Operational Art and Science, Air Command & Staff College, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
2022 Air War College, Maxwell AFB, Ala. (by correspondence)
ASSIGNMENTS
- June 2003 – February 2004: F-15C Squadron Scheduler, 94th Fighter Squadron, Langley Air Force Base, Va.
- February 2004 – August 2005: Student, Specialized Undergraduate Pilot Training, Columbus AFB, Miss.
- August 2005 – April 2012: Flight Commander, Assistant Director of Operations, and C-17A Special Operations Low Level (II) Left Seat Evaluator Pilot, 14th Airlift Squadron, Charleston AFB, S.C.
- May 2012 – June 2015: Group Standardization and Evaluation Lead Airdrop Evaluator; Director, Wing Weapons and Tactics; Chief Wing Executive Officer; and Antarctic Instructor Pilot; 10th Airlift Squadron and 62nd Operations Support Squadron, Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash.
- June 2015 – July 2016: Student, Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
- July 2016- July 2018: Theater Direct Delivery Planner and Chief Executive Officer, 618th Air Operations Center, Scott AFB, Ill.
- July 2018 – November 2018: Operations Officer and C-17A Instructor Pilot, 60th Operations Support Squadron, Travis AFB, Calif.
- November 2018 – July 2020: Commander, 60th Operations Support Squadron and C-17A Instructor Pilot, Travis AFB, Calif.
- July 2020—May 2022: Deputy Chief, Command Exercise Division and Exercise Director, Mobility Guardian ’21; Scott AFB, Ill.
- June 2022—February 2024: Deputy Director, AMC Commander’s Initiative Group, Scott AFB, Ill. (October 2022—April 2023: E-11A Instructor Pilot, 430th Expeditionary Electronic Combat Squadron, Prince Sultan Air Base, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia)
- February 2024—July 2024: Chief, AMC Capability Development Division, Scott AFB, Ill.
- February 2024—June 2025: Director, AMC Commander’s Initiative Group, Scott AFB, Ill.
- July 2025—present: Commander, 60th Operations Group, Travis AFB, Calif.
FLIGHT INFORMATION
Rating: Command Pilot
Flight hours: 4400
Aircraft flown: T-37B, T-1A, C-17A, E-11A
MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
Meritorious Service Medal with two oak leaf clusters
Air Medal with nine oak leaf clusters
Air Force Commendation Medal with oak leaf cluster
Air Force Achievement Medal
EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION
Second Lieutenant May 28, 2003
First Lieutenant May 28, 2005
Captain May 28, 2007
Major October 1, 2013
Lieutenant Colonel June 1, 2018
Colonel October 1, 2024
(Current as of July 2025)