Lieutenant Colonel Nicholas J. Disney is the Commander, 8th Airlift Squadron, JB Lewis-McChord, Washington. In this role, Lt Col Disney organizes, plans, & evaluates Wing flight, ground, weapon, & nuclear surety safety policies & operations. Additionally, Lt Col Disney is responsible for the safe operation of 40 assigned C-17A aircraft & advising wing leadership on mishap prevention & trend analysis.
Lt Col Disney was born in Lafayette, Louisiana. He entered the Air
Force in May 2007 as a graduate of the University of Georgia
ROTC program. He has been assigned to multiple operation
assignments and has world-wide operational experience including
Airland and Airdrop support to the Global War on Terrorism, and
combat duty in Operations ENDURING FREEDOM, INHERENT
RESOLVE, and FREEDOM’S SENTINEL. Prior to his current
position, he was a Special Assistant to the Chairman of the Joint
Chiefs of Staff, Pentagon, Washington DC.
EDUCATION
2007 Bachelors of Science, Education, University of Georgia
2007 Aerospace Basic Course, Maxwell AFB, Montgomery, Ala.
2014 Masters of Science, Leadership, University of Oklahoma
2014 Squadron Officer School, Maxwell AFB, Montgomery, Ala.
2019 Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell AFB, Ala., by
correspondence
2019 Air Force Strategic Policy Fellowship, Air University,
Pentagon Washington D.C.
ASSIGNMENTS
1. August 2007–April 2008, Squadron Duty Officer, Moody AFB, Ga.
2. April 2008–June 2009, Undergraduate Pilot Training, Naval Air Station Whiting Field, Pensacola, Fla.
3. July 2009–January 2010, Advanced Pilot Training, NAS Corpus Christi, Corpus Christi, Texas
4. February 2010–August 2010, C-130 Pilot Initial Qualification, Little Rock AFB, Ark.
5. August 2010–November 2013, C-130 Pilot, Standards and Evaluations Liaison Officer, Squadron
Executive Officer and Chief of Scheduling, 52nd Airlift Squadron, Peterson AFB, Colorado Springs, Colo.
6. November 2013–July 2014, C-17 Pilot, Chief of Readiness, 14th Airlift Squadron, JB Charleston S.C.
7. July 2014–February 2015, C-17 Pilot, Assistant Flight Commander, 14 AS, JB Charleston, S.C.
8. February 2015–August 2015, C-17 Instructor Pilot, Readiness Flight Commander, 14 AS, JB Charleston, S.C.
9. August 2015–April 2016, C-17 IP, Deputy Chief Operations Group Commander’s Action Group, 437 OG, JB
Charleston, S.C.
10. April 2016–December 2016, C-17 IP, Director of Staff, 437th Operations Group, JB Charleston, S.C.
11. December 2016–September 2017, C-17 Evaluator Pilot, Chief Wing Executive Officer, 437th Airlift Wing, JB
Charleston, S.C.
12. September 2017-December 2017, Department of Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, Service Chiefs’
Fellowship Program, DARPA, Arlington, Va.
13. December 2017-June 2018, C-17 Evaluator Pilot, Assistant Director of Operations, 14th Airlift Squadron, JB
Charleston, S.C.
14. June 2018-May 2019, Air Force Strategic Policy Fellow, Air University, Pentagon Washington D.C.
15. May 2019-July 2021, Special Assistant to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Pentagon, Washington D.C.
16. July 2021-June 2022, Chief of Safety, 62d Airlift Wing, Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash.
17. June 2022-Present, Commander, 8th Airlift Squadron, Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash.
FLIGHT INFORMATION
Rating: Senior Pilot
Flight Hours: More than 2500, including 500 combat hours
Aircraft Flown: C-17A, C-130 E/H, TC-12, T-34 and DA-20
MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
Defense Meritorious Service Medal
Meritorious Service Medal
Air Medal with two oak leaf clusters
Aerial Achievement Medal
Air Force Commendation Medal
Air Force Achievement Medal
Afghanistan Campaign Medal with two bronze star devices
EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION
Second Lieutenant May 12, 2007
First Lieutenant June 22, 2009
Captain June 22, 2011
Major June 1, 2017
Lieutenant Colonel October 1, 2020
(Current as of June 2022)