Colonel Rob Dotson is the Commander of the 374th Operations Group, 374th Airlift Wing, Yokota Air Base, Japan. He is responsible for the oversight of the Yokota airfield complex as well as the combat readiness of three operational squadrons utilizing C-130H, C-12J and UH-1N aircraft to conduct intratheater airlift, operational support airlift, aeromedical evacuation, and search and rescue in the Asia-Pacific region.
Colonel Dotson is a 1991 graduate of the United States Air Force Academy where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Human Factors. Since completing undergraduate pilot training he has served in a wide variety of assignments; he was an evaluator pilot in the C-21 Learjet and C-130 Hercules, performed duty as an exchange pilot in Zaragoza Spain, has international affairs experience as a Joint Military Attaché School graduate, completed two assignments as a contingency response leader, and served as an Operations Support Squadron Commander.
Colonel Dotson comes to Japan after an extended stint in Europe where he culminated his tour as the Director of Safety, Headquarters United States Air Forces in Europe and Air Forces in Africa. He has served as a deployed commander on several occasions throughout his career. Most recently, he was the deployed Senior Airfield Authority at Mihail Kogălniceanu Airbase, in Constanta, Romania, where he was responsible for the overall effectiveness of air operations, ensuring unity of effort among the various commands and other activities operating on the airfield as the DoD relocated its passenger transit center from Kyrgyzstan to Romania in 2014. He is a command pilot with 4,000 flying hours in the T-37, T-38, C-21, C-130, C-12 and UH-1.
Colonel Dotson is married to the former Ms. Trisha (Trish) Davisson of Enid, Oklahoma.
EDUCATION
1991 Bachelor of Science degree in Behavioral Sciences (Human Factors Engineering),
United States Air Force Academy, Colorado Springs, Colorado.
1998 Squadron Officer School, Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama.
2005 Air Command and Staff College, by correspondence.
2005 Master of Business Administration degree in military management,
Touro University International.
2006 Joint Military Attaché School
2007 Air War College, by correspondence.
ASSIGNMENTS
1. August 1991 – January 1992, Assistant Executive Officer, 94th Airmanship Training Squadron,
United States Air Force Academy, Colorado Springs, Colorado.
2. January 1992 – January 1993, Distinguished Graduate, Undergraduate Pilot Training,
Vance Air Force Base, Oklahoma.
3. January 1993 – June 1996, C-21A Evaluator and Instructor Pilot, 332d Airlift Flight,
Randolph Air Force Base, Texas.
4. June 1996 – November 1996, Chief, C-21A Standardization and Evaluation Branch,
12th Operations Group, Randolph Air Force Base, Texas.
5. November 1996 – July 2000, C-130H3 Evaluator/Instructor Pilot and Chief of Safety,
50th Airlift Squadron, Little Rock Air Force Base, Arkansas.
6. July 2000 – April 2001, Distinguished Graduate, Defense Language Institute Foreign Language
Center (Spanish), Monterey, California.
7. April 2001 – July 2003, Exchange Officer and KC-130H instructor pilot, 31st Wing,
Zaragoza Air Base, Spain.
8. July 2003 – February 2006, Operations Officer, 571st Global Mobility Squadron,
Travis Air Force Base, California.
9. February 2006 – July 2006, Executive Officer to the Commander, 15th Expeditionary Mobility
Task Force, Travis Air Force Base, California.
10. July 2006 – February 2008, Student, Joint Military Attaché School and Defense Language
Institute (Portuguese), Washington, District of Columbia.
11. February 2008 – August 2009, Operations Officer, 435th Air Mobility Squadron,
Ramstein Air Base, Germany.
12. August 2009 – July 2011, Commander, 65th Operations Support Squadron,
Lajes Field, Azores, Portugal.
13. August 2011 – August 2013, Deputy Chief, Operations and Training Division,
Headquarters United States Air Forces in Europe, Ramstein Air Base, Germany.
14. August 2013 – January 2014, Chief of Staff, Headquarters United States Air Forces in Europe,
Ramstein Air Base, Germany.
15. January 2014 – July 2014, Senior Airfield Authority, Mihail Kogălniceanu Air Base,
Constanta, Romania.
16. July 2014 – December 2014, Director of Safety, Headquarters United States Air Forces in
Europe, Ramstein Air Base, Germany.
17. December 2014 – Present, Commander, 374th Operations Group, Yokota Air Base, Japan.
FLIGHT INFORMATION
Rating: Command pilot
Flight hours: More than 4,000
Aircraft flown: T-37, T-38, C-21A, C-130E/H1/H3, KC-130H, C-12, UH-1
MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
Meritorious Service Medal with four oak leaf clusters
Air Medal with oak leaf cluster
Aerial Achievement Medal
Air Force Commendation Medal with oak leaf cluster
EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION
Second Lieutenant May 29, 1991
First Lieutenant May 29, 1993
Captain May 29, 1995
Major May 1, 2002
Lieutenant Colonel April 1, 2007
Colonel December 1, 2012
(Current as of September 2015)