Col James D. Hood is the Commander, 100th Maintenance Group, Royal Air Force Mildenhall, England. He provides leadership for more than 550 personnel responsible for sortie generation and aircraft and equipment maintenance in support of refueling operations, tactical airlift, special operations, strategic intelligence, and surveillance and reconnaissance throughout the European, African, and southwest Asian theaters. The maintenance group provides mission-ready aircraft to four major commands and maintains regional aircraft recovery and fuel system repair capabilities for a wide variety of aircraft. The group also deploys Airmen and equipment in support of NATO, EUCOM, and CENTCOM.
Col Hood received his commission through the Reserve Officer Training Corps. He completed the Aircraft Maintenance and Munitions Officer Course at Sheppard Air Force Base, Texas, in 1997. His maintenance experience spans across four major commands and includes KC-135, AC-130H/U, C-130E/H/J, MQ-1/9, KC‑10A, E-3, RQ-4, U-2, C-21, C-20, C-37B, and C-40 aircraft. Col Hood served as an instructor at the Advanced Maintenance and Munitions Operations School at Nellis AFB, Nev., and commanded deployed and CONUS-based aircraft maintenance squadrons. Prior to his current position, Col Hood served as the Maintenance Group Commander for the 19th Maintenance Group, Little Rock AFB, Ark.
EDUCATION
1997 Bachelor of Arts, Mathematics, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
2002 Squadron Officer School, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
2004 Advanced Maintenance and Munitions Operations School, Nellis AFB, Nev.
2007 Master of Public Administration, University of Nevada Las Vegas
2009 Master of Military Operational Art and Science, Air University, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
2013 Air War College, Maxwell AFB, Ala., by correspondence
2015 Advanced Program in Logistics/Technology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
ASSIGNMENTS
1. July 1997 – September 1999, Flight Commander, 319th Aircraft Generation Squadron, Grand Forks AFB, N.D.
2. September 1999 – July 2002, Assistant Aircraft Maintenance Unit (AMU) Officer-in-Charge (OIC), 16th Aircraft Generation Squadron and Flight Commander, 16th Equipment Maintenance Squadron, Hurlburt Field, Fla.
3. July 2002 – July 2004, AMU OIC, 43rd Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, and Operations Officer, 43rd Maintenance Operations Squadron, Pope AFB, N.C.
4. June 2005 – February 2007, Instructor, USAF Advanced Maintenance and Munitions Operations School, Nellis AFB, Nev.
5. February 2007 – July 2008, Operations Officer, 432nd Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, Creech AFB, Nev.
6. July 2008 – June 2009, Student, Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
7. June 2009 – June 2010, Commander, 380th Expeditionary Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, Al Dhafra Air Base, United Arab Emirates
8. July 2010 – July 2012, Commander, 432nd Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, Creech AFB, Nev.
9. July 2012 – July 2015, Staff Officer, Headquarters Air Force, Pentagon
10. July 2015 – July 2019, Deputy Commander, 86th Maintenance Group, Ramstein Air Base, Germany
11. July 2019 – July 2021, Commander, 19th Maintenance Group, Little Rock AFB, Ark.
12. July 2021 – Present, Commander, 100th Maintenance Group, RAF Mildenhall, England
MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
Legion of Merit
Bronze Star
Defense Meritorious Service Medal
Meritorious Service Medal with six oak leaf clusters
Air Force Commendation Medal with two oak leaf clusters
Air Force Achievement Medal
EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION
Second Lieutenant May 1997
First Lieutenant June 1999
Captain June 2001
Major March 2007
Lieutenant Colonel June 2012
Colonel November 2018
(Current as of July 2021)