Colonel Joseph O. Edington is currently serving as the Commander, 91st Maintenance Group, Minot Air Force Base, N.D. He leads 500 military and contractor personnel supporting the nation's most powerful, tailorable, and responsive nuclear forces. The unit maintains an 8,500 square mile missile complex consisting of 150 Minuteman III Intercontinental Ballistic Missile systems, launch and launch control facilities, and associated equipment. It coordinates and develops long-range plans supporting a $7.2 billion programmed weapons system upgrade and depot maintenance program and communicates mission performance and sustainment issues to higher headquarters and supporting commands facilitating the health and execution of the wing’s strategic nuclear deterrence role bolstering U.S. national security objectives.
Col Edington enlisted in the United States Air Force in 1989 as a Munitions Operations Technician. He received his commission in 2002 through Officer Training School and was first assigned to Vandenberg AFB, California for Officer Space Prerequisite Training. As a Space Operations Officer, he served as a Satellite Vehicle Operator, Orbital Analysist, Crew Commander, and Operations Flight Commander. In 2007, Col Edington cross-flowed back to maintenance as a Munitions and Missile Maintenance Officer where he has since served in a variety of conventional munitions, nuclear enterprise, and Intercontinental Ballistic Missile maintenance assignments at the Squadron, Group, MAJCOM, USAF Headquarters, and Joint Level.
EDUCATION
1994 Associates of Science, Logistics Management, Community College of the Air Force, Ala
1999 Bachelor of Science, Psychology, University of Maryland, Md
2001 Associates of Science, Munitions System Technology, Community College of the Air Force, Ala
2006 Master of Science, Space Systems Management, Webster University, Mo
2016 Master of Military Operational Art and Science, Air Command and Staff College, Ala
2018 Senior Development Education, Correspondence, Air War College, Ala
ASSIGNMENTS
1. December 1989 – May 2002, Munitions Operations Journeyman/Munitions Systems Craftsman, Ellsworth Air Force Base, S.D; Incirlik Air Base, Turkey; Ramstein AB, Germany; Osan AB, Republic of Korea; Spangdahlem AB, Germany; and Anderson AFB, Guam
2. May 2002 – August 2002, Student, Officer Training School, Maxwell AFB, Ala
3. August 2002 – February 2003, Student, Officer Space Prerequisite Training, Vandenberg AFB, Calif
4. February 2003 – September 2006, Satellite Vehicle Operator, Orbital Analysist, and Crew Commander, 3rd Space Operations Squadron, Schriever AFB, Colo
5. September 2006 – September 2007, Operations Flight Commander, 12th Space Warning Squadron, Thule AB, Greenland
6. September 2007 – July 2010, Munitions Flight Commander and Munitions Operations Officer, 31st Maintenance Squadron; and Maintenance Operations Officer, 31st Munitions Squadron, Aviano AB, Italy
7. July 2010 – July 2013, Electrical Flight Commander, Facilities Flight Commander, and Maintenance Operations Officer, 91st Missile Maintenance Squadron; and Operations Flight Commander and Operations Officer, 91st Maintenance Operations Squadron, Minot AFB, N.D.
8. July 2013 – July 2015, Chief, Strategic Weapons Modernization and Sustainment, Strategic Deterrence and Nuclear Integration Directorate, Headquarters, USAF, Pentagon, Washington D.C.
9. July 2015 – July 2016, Student, Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell AFB, Ala
10. July 2016 – April 2017, Munitions Advisor, United States Military Training Mission – Saudi Arabia, Eskan Village, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
11. May 2017 – June 2019, Commander, 341st Munitions Squadron, Malmstrom AFB, Mont
12. June 2019 – October 2020, Deputy Commander, 90th Maintenance Group, FE Warren AFB, Wyo
13. October 2020 – May 2022, Deputy Commander, 6th Mission Support Group, MacDill AFB, Fla
14. May 2022 – June 2023, Minuteman III Branch Chief, Air Force Global Strike Command, Barksdale AFB, La
15. June 2023 – June 2024, Director, F-35 Global Sustainment Operations, Lightning Sustainment Center, Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Air Force Materiel Command, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio
16. June 2024 – Present, Commander, 91st Maintenance Group, Minot AFB, N.D.
SUMMARY OF JOINT ASSIGNMENTS
1. July 2016 – April 2017, Munitions Advisor, United States Military Training Mission – Saudi Arabia, Eskan Village, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, as a major
2. October 2022 – April 2023, Global Force Management Officer, United States Central Command, MacDill AFB, Fla, as a lieutenant colonel
MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
Defense Superior Service Medal
Defense Meritorious Service Medal
Meritorious Service Medal (four devices)
Air Force Commendation Medal (eight devices)
Joint Service Achievement Medal
Air Force Achievement Medal (seven devices)
Joint Meritorious Unit Award (one device)
Air Force Outstanding Unit Award (seven devices and Valor Device)
Air Force Organizational Excellence Award (two devices)
Combat Readiness Medal (one device)
Air Force Good Conduct Medal (three devices)
Air Force Recognition Ribbon (one device)
National Defense Service Medal (one device)
Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal
Southwest Asia Service Medal (one device)
Kosovo Campaign Medal (one device)
Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal
Global War on Terrorism Service Medal
Korean Defense Service Medal
Armed Forces Service Medal (one device)
Humanitarian Service Medal (three devices)
Military Outstanding Volunteer Service Medal
Remote Combat Effects Campaign Medal (one device)
Air and Space Campaign Medal
Nuclear Deterrence Operations Service Medal (seven devices and Nuclear Device)
North Atlantic Treaty Organization Medal for Kosovo
North Atlantic Treaty Organization Medal for Non-Article V
OTHER ACHIEVEMENTS
1992 MUNITIONS OPERATIONS ELEMENT OF THE YEAR, UNITED STATES AIR FORCE
2003 SPACE OPERATIONS CREW OF THE YEAR, UNITED STATES AIR FORCE
2016 LIEUTENANT GENERAL NOWAK LOGISTICS AWARD, AIR COMMAND AND STAFF COLLEGE
OCCUPATIONAL BADGES
Basic Space Operations
Master Maintenance
Master Munitions
Master Missile Maintenance
PUBLICATIONS
Transforming the Munitions and Missile Maintenance Officer Career Field, Air University, Maxwell AFB, Ala, 2016
"Munitions and Missile Maintenance Officer 4.0", Exceptional Release, Logistics Officer Association, Winter 2021
EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION
Airman Basic July 25, 1989
Airman January 25, 1990
Airman First Class November 25, 1990
Senior Airman July 25, 1992
Staff Sergeant June 1, 1996
Technical Sergeant June 1, 2001
Second Lieutenant August 16, 2002
First Lieutenant August 16, 2004
Captain August 16, 2006
Major October 1, 2012
Lieutenant Colonel June 1, 2017
Colonel March 1, 2024
(Current as of June 2024)