Colonel Patrick T. Dierig is Commander of the 479th Flying Training Group at Pensacola Naval Air Station, Fla. The Group includes four squadrons, 325 personnel and 45 T-6 Texan II and T-1A Jayhawk aircraft and trains over 300 Combat Systems Officers each year for the U.S. Air Force, Air Force Reserve Command and Air National Guard. Additionally, the Group supports over 1,500 Air Force personnel in the Pensacola, Fla area.
Prior to assuming his current position, Col. Dierig was a senior program analyst at the Office of Secretary of Defense, Cost Assessment and Program Evaluation (CAPE), Global Shaping Division. Col. Dierig led Department of Defense-wide program review and developed program alternatives to address Secretary of Defense priorities. Col. Dierig was a national security fellow at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government.
Col. Dierig commissioned through officer training school in 2001, after graduating from Xavier University, Cincinnati, Ohio with a Bachelor of Liberal Arts degree. Col. Dierig is a master navigator and electronic warfare officer with more than 2,600 flight hours in the AC-130U and MC-130H. Col. Dierig has flown combat missions in Afghanistan and Iraq; as well as led mission planning cells for joint special operations in South America and Africa.
EDUCATION
1999 Bachelor of Liberal Arts, Xavier University, Cincinnati, Ohio
2005 AC-130 Weapons Instructor Course, U.S. Air Force Weapons School, Nellis AFB, Nev.
2007 Squadron Officer School, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
2007 Master of Arts degree in International Relations, University of Oklahoma, Norman, Okla.
2010 Air Command and Staff College, by correspondence
2013 Master of Arts, National Security and Strategy Studies, Naval War College, NAVSTA Newport, R.I.
2014 Master of Philosophy, Military Strategy, School of Advanced Air and Space Studies, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
2016 Joint Forces Staff College, NSA Hampton Roads, Va.
2020 National Security Fellow, Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University, Cambridge, Mass.
ASSIGNMENTS
1. January 2001 – November 2001, Student, Undergraduate Navigator/EWO Training, Randolph AFB, Texas
2. December 2001 – June 2002, Student, AC-130U Initial Qualification Training, Hurlburt Field, Fla.
3. June 2002 – March 2008, Flight Commander, 4th Special Operations Squadron, Hurlburt Field, Fla.
4. March 2008 – October 2008, Student, MC-130H Initial Qualification Training, Kirtland AFB, N.M.
5. November 2008 – March 2011, Chief of Plans, 7th Special Operations Squadron, RAF Mildenhall, United Kingdom
6. March 2011 – June 2012, Chief of Safety, 352nd Special Operations Group, RAF Mildenhall, United Kingdom
7. June 2012 – June 2013, Student, College of Naval Command and Staff, NAVSTA Newport, R.I.
8. June 20013 – June 2014, Student, School of Advanced Air and Space Studies, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
9. June 2014 – May 2016, Special Assistant, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Pentagon, Washington D.C.
10. June 2016 – June 2017, Assistant Operations Officer, 15th Special Operations Squadron, Hurlburt Field, Fla.
11. June 2017 – January 2019, Commander, 14th Weapons Squadron, Hurlburt Field, Fla.
12. January 2019 – June 2019, Chief of Strategic Engagements, Air Force Special Operations Command, Hurlburt Field, Fla.
13. July 2019 – June 2020, National Security Fellow, Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University, Cambridge, Mass.
14. June 2020 – July 2022, Senior Program Analyst, Global Shaping Division, Office of Secretary of Defense, Cost Assessment and Program Evaluation, Pentagon, Washington D.C.
15. July 2022 – Present, Commander, 479th Flying Training Group, Naval Air Station Pensacola, Fla.
SUMMARY OF JOINT ASSIGNMENTS
1. June 2014 – May 2016, Special Assistant, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Pentagon, Washington D.C., as a major and lieutenant colonel
2. June 2020 –2022, Senior Program Analyst, Global Shaping Division, Office of Secretary of Defense, Cost Assessment and Program Evaluation, Pentagon, Washington D.C., as a colonel
FLIGHT INFORMATION
Rating: master navigator
Flight hours: more than 2,600, including 1,083 combat hours
Aircraft flown: AC-130U, MC-130H
MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
Defense Meritorious Service Medal with one oak leaf cluster
Meritorious Service Medal with one oak leaf cluster
Air Medal with seven oak leaf clusters
Aerial Achievement Medal
Joint Service Commendation Medal
Air Force Commendation Medal with one oak leaf cluster
Joint Service Achievement Medal with one oak leaf cluster
Air Force Achievement Medal with one oak leaf cluster
Air Force Combat Action Medal
EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION
Second Lieutenant January 12, 2001
First Lieutenant January 12, 2003
Captain January 12, 2005
Major October 1, 2010
Lieutenant Colonel December 1, 2015
Colonel February 1, 2021
(Current as of July 2022)