Colonel Patrick R. Launey is the Commander, 374th Mission Support Group, Yokota Air Base, Japan. He leads over 2,700 personnel across six squadrons and one geographically separated flight and manages over $2 billion assets, providing combat support and mission-ready forces for the 374th Airlift Wing and 32 tenant units including Headquarters U.S. Forces Japan and 5th Air Force. The 374th Mission Support Group provides force protection, communications, contracting, logistics, personnel management, civil engineering, and quality of life programs for over 11,000 military and civilian personnel.
Col Launey was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the United States Air Force in May 1998 from Mississippi State University. He possesses a broad range of logistics experiences at the wing, combined joint task force, service and joint headquarters levels, and has commanded two squadrons. Col Launey has conducted logistics planning and strategy development for Combined Forces Command – Afghanistan and U.S. Northern Command. His services on the on the Air Staff included conducting joint capability and risk estimates as an Agile Combat Support analyst and data integration and life cycle logistics assessments for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter. On the Joint Staff, he led the Logistics Directorate's efforts in global bulk petroleum posture and distribution analysis for joint force concepts and combatant command requirement development. He has also performed duties as an Air Force professional military education instructor and an embedded training team advisor with the Afghanistan National Army. Prior to his current assignment, Col Launey was Director, Current Operations (J3), Defense Logistics Agency Distribution Headquarters, New Cumberland, Penn.
EDUCATION
1998 Bachelor of Science degree in forestry and wildlife management, Mississippi State University, Starkville, Miss.
1998 Air and Space Basic Course, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
2003 Squadron Officer School, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
2008 Air Command and Staff College, by correspondence
2009 Master of Arts degree in transportation and logistics management, American Military University, Manassas, Va.
2011 Distinguished graduate, Master of Science degree in military operational art and science, Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
2012 Air War College, by correspondence
2018 Master of Science degree in national resource strategy with supply chain management concentration, Dwight D. Eisenhower School for National Security and Resource Strategy, National Defense University, Ft. McNair, Washington, D.C.
ASSIGNMENTS
1. August 1998 – September 1999, Squadron Sortie Programmer, 68th Fighter Squadron, 347th Wing, Moody AFB, Ga.
2. September 1999 – June 2001, Officer in Charge, Deployments Section, 347th Logistics Support Squadron, 347th Wing, Moody AFB, Ga.
3. June 2001 – June 2003, Chief, Logistics Plans Flight, 81st Training Wing, Keesler AFB, Miss.
November 2002 – June 2003, Officer in Charge, Joint Operation Planning and Execution System Support Element, Continental US North American Aerospace Defense Command Region (CONR NORAD) Air Operations Center, Tyndall AFB, Fla.
4. June 2003 – June 2005, Readiness Flight Commander and Traffic Management Flight Commander, 81st Transportation Squadron, 81st Training Wing, Keesler AFB, Miss.
5. June 2005 – March 2008, Flight Commander and Director of Operations, 31st Student Squadron, Squadron Officer School, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
6. March 2008 – April 2009, Executive Officer to the Commandant, Headquarters Squadron Officer College, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
7. April 2009 – July 2010, Senior Advisor, Army Logistics Command Forward Support Group, Afghanistan National Army, NATO
Training Mission and Combined Security Transition Command, Kabul, Afghanistan
8. August 2010 – June 2011, Student, Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell AFB, Ala9. June 2011 – April 2012, Agile Combat Support Analyst, ACS Division, Directorate for Global Combat Support, Deputy Chief of Staff for Logistics, Installations and Mission Support, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, the Pentagon, Arlington, Va.
10. April 2012 – July 2013, Chief, F-35 Logistics Systems Integration, Weapons System Division, Directorate for Logistics, Deputy Chief of Staff for Logistics, Installations and Mission Support, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, the Pentagon, Arlington, Va.
11. July 2013 – July 2015, Commander, 56th Logistics Readiness Squadron, 56th Fighter Wing, Luke AFB, Ariz.
12. July 2015 – July 2017, Commander, 18th Logistics Readiness Squadron, 18th Wing, Kadena AB, Japan
13. July 2017 – June 2018, Student, Dwight D. Eisenhower School for National Security and Resource Strategy, National Defense University, Ft. McNair, Washington, D.C.
14. June 2018 – June 2019, Chief, Joint Petroleum Branch, Directorate for Logistics (J4), Joint Staff, the Pentagon, Arlington, Va.
15. June 2019 – June 2020, Director, Current Operations (J3), Defense Logistics Agency Distribution, New Cumberland, Penn.
16. July 2020 - Present, Commander, 374th Mission Support Group, 374th Airlift Wing, Yokota, AB, Japan
SUMMARY OF JOINT ASSIGNMENTS
June 2018 – June 2019, Chief, Joint Petroleum Branch, Directorate for Logistics (J4), Joint Staff, the Pentagon, Arlington, Va., as a lieutenant colonel
June 2019 – June 2020, Director, Current Operations (J3), Defense Logistics Agency Distribution, New Cumberland, Penn., as a colonel
MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
Bronze Star Medal
Defense Meritorious Service Medal with oak leaf cluster
Meritorious Service Medal with four oak leaf clusters
Joint Service Commendation Medal
Air Force Commendation Medal with oak leaf cluster
Air Force Achievement Medal with oak leaf cluster
Afghanistan Campaign Medal with three campaign devices
Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal
NATO International Security Assistance Force Medal
EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION
Second Lieutenant June 5, 1998
First Lieutenant June 5, 2000
Captain June 5, 2002
Major February 1, 2008
Lieutenant Colonel July 1, 2013
Colonel August 1, 2019
(Current as of July 2020)