Lt Col Matthew Buscemi is dual hatted as Commander, 627th Civil Engineer Squadron and Deputy Director, Directorate of Public Works, Joint Base Lewis-McChord, WA. In these roles, he leads 498 civilians and 127 Airmen in the maintenance, repair, and sustainment of the infrastructure and facilities on the largest Army-led Joint Base with a $24.9B plant replacement value spanning over half the size of Rhode Island. Joint Base Lewis-McChord serves as the Department of Defense’s premier West Coast power projection platform and is home to the Army’s First Corps and the Air Force’s 62d Airlift Wing, along with a myriad of other sister service and special operations units equivalent to 18 Wings. Additionally, he is responsible for the full spectrum readiness and training of more than 4,000 Airmen on McChord Field, preparing them with the ability to survive and operate in contested or contaminated environments.
Lt Col Buscemi graduated and received his commission from the United States Air Force Academy in 2010 and received a Master’s of Civil Engineering from North Carolina State University in 2017. He is a licensed Professional Engineer through the state of Florida. Prior to his current assignment, Lt Col Buscemi was the Executive Officer to the Air Force Civil Engineer, the Pentagon, Washington DC. In this role, he was responsible for providing executive-level guidance and management of the Directorate’s senior officers, daily battle rhythm, and the administrative support staff, supporting a staff of 175 personnel and 47,000 total force civil engineers.
Lt Col Buscemi has deployed four times in support of operations ENDURING FREEDOM, RESOLUTE SUPPORT, INHERENT RESOLVE, and Exercise NEW HORIZONS 2019, Guyana. Additionally, he served as the lead Civil Engineer on Task Force Raptor during the disaster response to Tyndall AFB after Hurricane Michael.
EDUCATION
2010 Bachelor of Science, Civil Engineering, United States Air Force Academy, Colorado
2010 Air and Space Basic Course, Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama
2016 Squadron Officer School, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
2017 Master of Civil Engineering, Construction Engineering, NCSU, N.C.
2023 Master of Operational Studies, Command and General Staff College, Fort Leavenworth, Kans.
ASSIGNMENTS
1. October 2010 – September 2013, Officer In Charge of SABER, Chief of Engineering Operations, 27th Special Operations Civil Engineer Squadron, Cannon AFB, New Mexico
2. September 2013 – August 2014, Readiness and Emergency Management Flight Commander, 8th Civil Engineer Squadron, Kunsan Air Base, Korea
3. September 2014 – June 2016, Chief of Construction Management, 86th CES, Ramstein AB, Germany
4. July 2016 – July 2017, Chief of Operations Engineering, 786th CES, Ramstein AB, Germany
5. August 2017 – February 2019, Deputy Operations Flight Commander, Deputy Engineering Flight Commander, Engineering Flight Commander, 823d RED HORSE Squadron, Hurlburt Field, Fla.
6. March 2019 – August 2019, Commander, 346 Expeditionary RED HORSE Squadron, Camp Seweyo, Guyana
7. September 2019 – December 2020, Director of Operations, 823d RED HORSE Squadron, Hurlburt Field, Fla
8. January 2021 – June 2022, Installation Support, Basing, Beddown, and Expeditionary Support Branch Chief, Air Force Installation and Mission Support Center Detachment 7, Randolph AFB, Texas
9. June 2022 – July 2023, Student, United States Army Command and General Staff College, Fort Leavenworth, Kans.
10. July 2023 – June 2024, A4 Fusion Cell Operations Officer, Headquarters Air Force, the Pentagon, Virginia
11. June 2024 – June 2025, Executive Officer to the Director of Civil Engineers, Headquarters Air Force, the Pentagon, Virginia
12. June 2025 – Present, Commander, 627th Civil Engineer Squadron
MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
Air Force Meritorious Service Medal with two oak leaf clusters
Air Force Commendation Medal with five oak leaf clusters
Air Force Achievement Medal
Air Force Meritorious Unit Award with four oak leaf clusters
Air Force Outstanding Unit Award with one oak leaf cluster
OTHER ACHIEVEMENTS
2010 Distinguished Graduate, Air and Space Basic Course
2013 Graduate, Army Air Assault School
2016 United States Air Forces in Europe Major General Lupia Civil Engineer Company Grade Officer of the Year
2022 Professional Engineer License, Florida
2023 Superior Graduate, Command and General Staff College, Fort Leavenworth, Kansas
EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION
Second Lieutenant May 26, 2010
First Lieutenant May 26, 2012
Captain May 26, 2014
Major February 1, 2020
Lieutenant Colonel November 1, 2024
(Current as of 9 July 2025)