Col Sergio E. Anaya is the Commander, 62d Airlift Wing, Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington. He ensures the readiness of more than 2,400 active-duty military and civilian personnel, along with 40 permanently assigned C-17A Globemaster III aircraft that support worldwide combat and humanitarian airlift and airdrop operations. As the provider of the Prime Nuclear Airlift Forces, the 62d Airlift Wing is the only wing in the Department of Defense tasked to airlift nuclear and nuclear-related cargo. In addition, the 62d Airlift Wing serves as the primary active-duty wing in support of Operation DEEP FREEZE, partnering with Reserve, Guard, and civilian agencies to provide airlift support for the National Science Foundation’s U.S. Antarctic Program. Col Anaya also serves as the U.S. Air Force Senior Service Component Commander at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, representing interests of approximately 7,000 Total Force Airmen to the Joint Base Partnership Council and the surrounding community.
Col Anaya graduated from the U.S. Air Force Academy in 1999 and earned a master’s degree in 2020 from Johns Hopkins University. He is a Latin America Foreign Area Officer (FAO), a graduate of the Chilean Air Command and Staff College in Santiago, Chile, and a Georgetown University National Defense Fellow. Prior to his current position, Col Anaya was the Commander, 62d Operations Group, 62d Airlift Wing, Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington.
Col Anaya previously served as a Military Assistant to the Department of Defense Executive Secretary in the personal Office of the Secretary of Defense. In this capacity, Col Anaya served as a liaison with the White House, the National Security Council, and the interagency in support of Presidential support actions. As the Secretary of Defense’s primary action officer for military and executive airlift, he orchestrated worldwide airlift support for senior government and interagency officials, to include the President, Vice President, Cabinet secretaries, members of Congress and their support staffs. Col Anaya is a graduate of the USAF Weapons Instructor Course and a command pilot with more than 4,100 hours in the C-17A, C-21A, T-1, and T-37.
EDUCATION
1999 Bachelor of Science, Basic Sciences, U.S. Air Force Academy, Colo.
2004 Squadron Officer School, Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala.
2007 C-17A Weapons Instructor Course, McGuire AFB, N.J.
2009 Masters of Aeronautical Science, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Daytona Beach, Fla.
2009 Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell AFB, Ala., by correspondence
2012 Chilean Air Command and Staff College, Santiago, Chile
2013 Joint and Combined Warfighting School, Joint Forces Staff College, Norfolk, Va.
2014 Air War College, Maxwell AFB, Ala., by correspondence
2018 National Defense Fellow, Georgetown University, Washington, D.C.
2020 Master of Arts, Global Policy, Johns Hopkins University (SAIS), Washington, D.C.
ASSIGNMENTS
1. June 1999–June 2000, Adjutant, 510th Fighter Squadron, Aviano Air Base, Italy
2. June 2000–June 2001, Student, undergraduate pilot training, Laughlin Air Force Base, Texas
3. June 2001–June 2005, C-17A Aircraft Commander, Assistant Chief of Squadron Tactics, 14th Airlift Squadron, Charleston AFB, SC.
4. June 2005–July 2009, Weapons Officer, Assistant Operations Officer, 7th Airlift Squadron, McChord AFB, Wash.
5. July 2009–August 2010, Wing Weapons and Tactics Flight Commander, 62d Operations Support Squadron, Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash.
6. August 2010–December 2011, Chief of Standardization and Evaluation, 62d Operations Group, Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash.
7. December 2011–March 2013, Student, Chilean Air Command and Staff College, Santiago, Chile
8. April 2013–July 2014, Political-Military Affairs Officer, U.S. Southern Command, Miami, Fla.
9. July 2014–August 2015, Special Assistant to the Commander, U.S. Southern Command, Miami, Fla.
10. September 2015–June 2017, Commander, Air Operations Squadron, Air Mobility Command, Scott AFB, IL.
11. July 2017–May 2018, National Defense Fellow, Institute for the Study of Diplomacy, Georgetown University, Washington, D.C.
12. May 2018–June 2019, Executive Officer to the Deputy Under Secretary of the Air Force, International Affairs, the Pentagon, Arlington, Va.
13. June 2019–June 2021, Military Assistant to the Executive Secretary, Office of the Secretary of Defense, the Pentagon, Arlington, Va.
14. June 2021–June 2023, Commander, 62d Operations Group, Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash.
15. June 2023–present, Commander, 62d Airlift Wing, Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash.
SUMMARY OF JOINT ASSIGNMENTS
1. April 2013–June 2014, Political-Military Affairs Officer, U.S. Southern Command, Miami, Fla.
2. July 2014–August 2015, Special Assistant to the Commander, U.S. Southern Command, Miami, Fla.
3. June 2019–June 2021, Military Assistant to the Executive Secretary, Office of the Secretary of Defense, the Pentagon, Arlington, Va.
FLIGHT INFORMATION
Rating: command pilot
Flight hours: more than 4,100 including 930 combat hours
Aircraft flown: T-37, T-1, C-17A, C-21A
MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
Defense Superior Service Medal
Legion of Merit
Defense Meritorious Service Medal
Meritorious Service Medal with two oak leaf clusters
Air Medal with four oak leaf clusters
Aerial Achievement Medal
Air and Space Commendation Medal with oak leaf cluster
Air and Space Achievement Medal with three oak leaf clusters
EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION
Second Lieutenant June 2, 1999
First Lieutenant June 2, 2001
Captain June 2, 2003
Major Feb. 1, 2009
Lieutenant Colonel July 1, 2014
Colonel Aug. 1, 2020
(Current as of June 2023)