Colonel Jon Baize is the Deputy Commander for the 515th Air Mobility Operations Wing at Joint Base Pearl Harbor Hickam, Hawaii. The wing provides en route air mobility aircraft maintenance, command and control, air transportation services, and expeditionary support for theater and strategic U.S. Transportation Command taskings across the Indo-Pacific Region. The 515 Air Mobility Operations Wing is responsible for more than 2000 deployed and permanent party Total Force Airmen organized across two groups spanning more than 8,000 miles.
Colonel Baize received his commission from the United States Air Force Academy in 2002. He attended the Naval Command and Staff College and is a graduate of the Advanced Studies Group. He has multiple deployments flying the C-17A Globemaster III in support of Operations ENDURING FREEDOM and IRAQI FREEDOM. He previously served as the Commander, 15th Airlift Squadron, Joint Base Charleston, South Carolina. He was also honored to serve as the Military Aide to both Vice President Joseph Biden and Vice President Mike Pence. He is a command pilot, having logged over 4,800 flight hours and is married with two children.
EDUCATION
2002 Bachelor’s of Science in Foreign Area Studies with a minor in Japanese, U.S. Air Force Academy, Colorado Springs, CO
2009 Squadron Officers School, Distinguished Graduate, Maxwell Air Force Base, AL
2009 Master’s Degree in Business Administration – Strategic Leadership, Touro University
2011 Air Command and Staff College, Air University, In Correspondence
2014 Master’s Degree in National Security and Strategic Studies, Naval Command and Staff College
2014 Maritime Advanced Warfighting School, Naval Command and Staff College
2022 Executive Education, Darden School of Business, University of Virginia, Va.
2023 Senior Developmental Education, SECDEF Executive Fellowship, Mountain View, CA
2025 Joint PME II, Joint Forces Staff College - Satellite, National Defense University
ASSIGNMENTS
1. Aug 2002 - Mar 2003, Foreign Language Officer, US Air Force Academy, Colorado Springs, CO
2. Mar 2003 – Apr 2004, Student, Distinguished Graduate, Undergraduate Pilot Training, Laughlin AFB, TX
3. Aug 2004 - Sep 2010, C-17 Special Operations Evaluator Pilot, 15th Airlift Squadron, Charleston AFB, SC
4. Oct 2010 – Jul 2013, Executive Officer to the 15th Wing Commander, Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, HI
5. Jul 2013 – Sep 2014, Naval Command and Staff College, Maritime Advanced Warfighting School, Newport, RI
6. Sep 2014 – May 2016, Chief, Joint Concepts Branch, Concepts Division “Skunk Works,” Pentagon, Washington, DC
7. May 2016 – Jun 2018, Senior Military Aide to the Vice President of the United States, the White House, Washington, DC
8. Jun 2018 – Apr 2019, Chief of Safety, 437th Airlift Wing, Joint Base Charleston, SC
9. Apr 2019 – Apr 2021, Commander, 15th Airlift Squadron, Joint Base Charleston, SC
10. Apr 2021 – Jul 2022, Career Intermission Program (sabbatical) Charleston, SC
11. Jul 2022 – Jul 2023, SECDEF Executive Fellowship at Waymo, Mountain View, CA
12. Jul 2023 – Jun 2025, Chief, Air Operations and Special Capabilities Division, Pacific Air Forces, JB Pearl Harbor-Hickam, HI
13. Jun 2025 – May 2026, Chief, Air Mobility Division, 613 Air Operations Center, Pacific Air Forces, JB Pearl Harbor-Hickam, HI
14. June 2024 – June 2026, Deputy Commander, 515 Air Mobility Operations Wing, Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, HI
SUMMARY OF JOINT ASSIGNMENTS
1. May 2016 – Jun 2018, Senior Military Aide to the Vice President of the United States, the White House, Washington, DC, as a Lieutenant Colonel
FLIGHT INFORMATION
Rating: Command Pilot
Flight hours: More than 4,800, including 900 combat
Aircraft flown: T-37B, T-1A, C-17A
MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
Defense Superior Service Medal
Meritorious Service Medal with Three Oak Leaf Cluster
Air Medal with Five Oak Leaf Clusters
Air Force Commendation Medal with Two Oak Leaf Clusters
Aerial Achievement Medal
EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION
Second Lieutenant May 30, 2002
First Lieutenant May 30, 2004
Captain May 30, 2006
Major Apr 1, 2012
Lieutenant Colonel Mar 1, 2017
Colonel Apr 1, 2024
(Current as of June 2026)