Colonel Brandon Kelly is an A-10C instructor pilot and the Commander of the 476th Fighter Group, Moody AFB, GA which is a Geographically Separated Unit of the 442d Fighter Wing at Whiteman AFB, MO. As the Commander, Col Kelly is responsible for the integration of 250 Maintenance, Operations, Logistics and Medical personnel within the 23d Wing as a Reserve Classic Associate unit where his people train and deploy in support of Active Duty exercises and contingency operations.
Prior to assuming his current position, Col Kelly was an A-10C instructor pilot and most recently Squadron Commander of the 76th Fighter Squadron, also at Moody AFB, GA. Prior to that he was Director of Operations for the 47th Fighter Squadron at Davis-Monthan AFB, AZ. As the Director of Operations, he was responsible for nearly 9000 annual flying hours, 28 A-10C aircraft, 40 instructor pilots, and nearly 20 percent of Air Combat Command’s annual training and production of fighter pilots.
Previously in his career, Col Kelly was commissioned through the AFROTC program in December 1998 at Brigham Young University. Col Kelly then served as the Section Commander for the 34th Bomb Squadron and then the 389th Fighter Squadron at Mt. Home AFB, ID before attending Undergraduate Pilot Training at Columbus AFB, MS. In 2000 he attended the A-10A Formal Training Course. His first assignment after FTU was to the 75th Fighter Squadron, Pope AFB, NC, where he filled many positions to include assistant Weapons Officer, Navigation Officer and Chief of Scheduling. Col Kelly also spent 2 years at Osan AB, South Korea serving as assistant Weapons officer and Flight Commander and was a Combat Search and Rescue (Sandy1), Forward Air Controller, Mission Commander and Instructor Pilot.
His deployments include Operation Southern Watch in Al Jaber AB, Kuwait, Operation Enduring Freedom in Bagram AB, Afghanistan, and Operation Iraqi Freedom as their close air support “expert” responsible for coordinating and controlling over a hundred missions and air strikes on various enemy positions and targets while convoying with his battalion from Kuwait to Baghdad.
He is a command pilot with nearly 3,000 flying hours including 2,500 hours in the A-10.
EDUCATION
1998 Bachelor of Arts in Native American History and Westward Expansion, Brigham Young University, UT
1999 Aerospace Basic Course, Maxwell AFB, AL
2001 Joint Firepower Control Course, Nellis AFB, NV
2003 Squadron Officer School, In-Residence, Maxwell AFB, AL
2010 Air Command and Staff College, by correspondence, Maxwell AFB, AL
2013 Masters of Military Operational Arts and Science, Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell AFB, AL
2016 Air War College, by seminar, Distinguished Graduate, Maxwell AFB, AL
ASSIGNMENTS
1. Jan 1999 – Sep 1999, Section Commander, 34th Bomb Squadron and 389th Fighter Squadron
2. Sep 1999 – Oct 2000, Student, Specialized Undergraduate Pilot Training, Columbus AFB, MS
3. Feb 2001 – Apr 2001, Student, Introduction to Fighter Fundamentals, Moody AFB, GA
4. Apr 2001 – Nov 2001, Student, A-10 FTU, 358th Fighter Squadron, Davis-Monthan AFB, AZ
5. Dec 2001 - Jan 2005, A-10 pilot, BALO, Chief of Scheduling, 75th Fighter Squadron, Pope AFB, NC
6. Jan 2005 – Jan 2007, A-10 instructor pilot, Flight Commander, 25th Fighter Squadron, Osan AB, ROK
7. Jan 2007 – Jan 2008, A-10 FTU instructor pilot, Chief of Scheduling, 358th Fighter Sq, Davis-Monthan AFB, AZ
8 Jan 2008 – Oct 2008, A-10 FTU instructor pilot (357th FS), Chief of Cyber Programs and Device Trainers,
355th TRS, DMAFB, AZ
9. Oct 2008 – Dec 2010, A-10 FTU instructor pilot (358th FS), Chief of Training, Det 1, 917 OG, TFI, DMAFB AFB, AZ
10. Dec 2010 – Dec 2013, A-10 FTU instructor pilot (358th FS), TFI Flight Commander, 45th FS, DMAFB, AZ
11. Dec 2013 – Dec 2014, A-10 FTU instructor pilot, Chief of Stan Eval, 924th Fighter Group, DMAFB AFB, AZ
12. Dec 2014 – Oct 2016, A-10 FTU instructor pilot, Flight Commander, 47th FS, Davis-Monthan AFB, AZ
13. Oct 2016 – Dec 2017, A-10 FTU instructor pilot, Director of Operations, 47th FS, Davis-Monthan AFB, AZ
14. Dec 2017 – Jun 2019, Commander, 76th Fighter Squadron, Moody AFB, GA
15. Jun 2019 – Present, Commander, 476th Fighter Group, Moody AFB, GA
FLIGHT INFORMATION
Rating: Command Pilot
Flight hours: 2,900
Aircraft flown: T-37, T-38, A-10A, A-10C
MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
Meritorious Service Medal with three oak leaf clusters
Air Medal
Aerial Achievement Medal with two oak leaf clusters
Air Force Commendation Medal with two oak leaf clusters
Air Force Combat Action Medal
Afghanistan Campaign Medal
Iraq Campaign Medal
EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION
Second Lieutenant January 17, 1999
First Lieutenant January 17, 2001
Captain January 17, 2003
Major September 1, 2008
Lieutenant Colonel October 1, 2014
Colonel June 13, 2020
(Current as of July 2019)