Colonel Megan A. Cornett is the commander of the 377th Mission Support Group, Kirtland AFB, New Mexico. The group is responsible for providing combat-ready support to the Air Force's largest installation with 52,000 acres, over 800 facilities, 1,302 housing units, and controlling a $90 million budget to support more than 5,800 military, 6,200 civilians, and 20,000 retirees. It has overall responsibility for base support including civil engineering, force support, logistics, contracting and communications services.
Colonel Cornett was commissioned in 1999 through the ROTC program at Texas A&M University. She has served as the airfield operations flight commander at wings in three major commands, providing air traffic control tower, radar approach control, and airfield management services supporting combat and training operations, as well as civil aviation. Colonel Cornett has held a variety of staff positions at MAJCOM, FOA, Air Staff and Combatant Command levels and was a defense legislative fellow in the Office of the Senate Majority Leader. Additionally, she commanded the 323d Training Squadron at Air Force Basic Military Training, Joint Base San Antonio - Lackland, Texas.
Colonel Cornett has deployed multiple times in support of Operations IRAQI FREEDOM and ENDURING FREEDOM, serving as airfield operations flight commander, protocol officer, and air operations liaison to the Pakistani military.
Prior to her current assignment, Colonel Cornett was the Senior Air Force Representative to the Federal Aviation Administration, Washington, D.C.
EDUCATION
1999 Bachelor of Arts degree in Chemistry, Texas A&M University, Texas
2005 Top Third graduate, Squadron Officer School, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
2009 Honors graduate, Masters of Public Administration, University of Oklahoma, Okla.
2009 Air Command and Staff College, by correspondence
2013 Joint Force Staff College, Naval Station Norfolk, Norfolk, Va.
2018 Masters of Strategic Studies, Air War College, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
ASSIGNMENTS
1. February 2000 – March 2001, student and special assistant to the commander, 72d Operations Support Squadron, Vance AFB. Okla.
2. April 2001 – August 2001, student, Basic Airfield Operations Officer Course, Keesler AFB, Miss.
3. August 2001 – March 2002, student, Air Traffic Control Officer Training Program, Laughlin AFB, Texas
4. March 2002 – May 2004, operations officer and Flight Commander, Airfield Operations, 336th Operations Support Squadron, Mountain Home AFB, Idaho (Jun 2003 – March 2004, Flight Commander, Airfield Operations, 447th Expeditionary Operations Support Squadron, Baghdad International Airport, Iraq)
5. May 2004 – May 2005, Flight Commander, Airfield Operations, 8th Operations Support Squadron, Kunsan AB, Republic of Korea
6. May 2005 – November 2007, Flight Commander, Airfield Operations, 56th Operations Support Squadron, Luke AFB, Ariz. (May 2007 – September 2007, group protocol officer and operations officer, 407th Expeditionary Operations Support Squadron, Ali AB, Iraq)
7. November 2007 - November 2009, Chief, Airfield Operations Combat Readiness Branch, then Deputy Chief, AirTraffic Control Division, Air Force Flight Standards Agency, Will Rogers World Apt, Okla. (March 2009 – September 2009, Chief, Airspace Coordination Office, Office of the Defense Representative, U.S. Embassy, Islamabad, Pakistan)
8. November 2009 - March 2010, aide-de-camp to the Vice Chief of Staff of the Air Force, the Pentagon, Washington, DC
9. March 2010 – July 2011, executive officer to the Director, Legislative Liaison, Office of the Secretary of the Air Force, the Pentagon, Washington, D.C.
10. July 2011 – March 2013, Defense Legislative Fellow, Office of the Senate Majority Leader, Government Affairs Institute at Georgetown University, Washington, D.C.
11. March 2013 – April 2015, Chief, Congressional Engagement, Headquarters U.S. Central Command, MacDill AFB, Fla.
12. May 2015 – June 2017, Commander, 323d Training Squadron, Basic Military Training, JBSA-Lackland, Texas
13. July 2017 – May 2018, student, Air War College, Air University, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
14. May 2018 - July 2019, Director, Commander's Action Group, Headquarters Air Force Global Strike Commander, Barksdale AFB, La.
15. July 2019 - June 2020, Deputy Commander, 5th Mission Support Group, Minot AFB, N.D.
16. July 2020 - June 2021, Senior Air Force Representative to the Federal Aviation Administration, Washington, D.C.
17. June 2021 - Present, Commander, 377th Mission Support Group, Kirtland AFB, N.M.
SUMMARY OF JOINT ASSIGNMENTS
March 2013 – April 2015, Chief, Congressional Engagement, Headquarters U.S. Central Command, MacDill AFB, Fla., as a major and lieutenant colonel
MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
Defense Meritorious Service Medal
Meritorious Service Medal with six oak leaf clusters
Joint Service Commendation Medal with one oak leaf cluster
Air Force Commendation Medal with two oak leaf clusters
EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION
Second Lieutenant Dec. 17, 1999
First Lieutenant Jan. 15, 2002
Captain Jan. 15, 2004
Major Oct. 1, 2009
Lieutenant Colonel Jan. 1, 2015
Colonel, Dec. 1, 2020