Colonel Laurinda Reifsteck

Air Force Chair

Contact Colonel Reifsteck

Col Laurinda M. Reifsteck is assigned to the faculty of National Defense University (NDU), College of International Security Affairs (CISA), Fort McNair, Washington, D.C.  Prior to coming to NDU, Col Reifsteck was among the leadership team chosen to stand up a new U.S. Air Force Center and served as the first Vice Commander for the Investigations Collections Operations Nexus (ICON) Center, Office of Special Investigations (OSI), Quantico, Virginia.  At the ICON Center, Col Reifsteck was responsible for a 5.6 million dollar budget, mission support for 607 personnel, compliance inspections of OSI’s eleven specialty mission areas located at 30 units world-wide and the field operational support located at Quantico, and all internal investigations, inquiries, and assessments.

Col Reifsteck entered the U.S. Air Force in February 1999 as a distinguished graduate of Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps at the Illinois Institute of Technology and became a Special Agent for OSI.  She has served in a variety of positions as an investigator, staff officer, and three command tours, to include the squadron level and a deployed unit in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. Her engagement in criminal investigations and counterintelligence helped culminate 771 investigations, 250 combat operations, and 379 million dollars returned to the U.S. Government.  Col Reifsteck was hand-selected to serve as the Theater Counterintelligence Collection Authority for North Atlantic Treaty Organization’s (NATO) Operation Resolute Support in Kabul, Afghanistan, where she was responsible for counterintelligence support to over 21,000 coalition forces.  She has also conducted career broadening as a Political-Military Affairs Strategist at U.S. Pacific Command and U.S. Pacific Air Forces, with a concentration on U.S.-Australian international affairs in the Pacific.  Col Reifsteck also proudly completed the Embassy Emersion Fellowship at Air Command and Staff College and the advanced studies Grand Strategy Seminar at Air War College.

 

EDUCATION

1998       Bachelors of Science, Mechanical Engineering, Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago

                Distinguished Graduate, Air Force Reserve Officer’s Training Corps

1999       USAF Special Investigations Academy, Andrews AFB, Maryland

2002       Masters of Science, Criminal Justice, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham

2005       Distinguished Graduate, Squadron Officers School, Maxwell AFB, Alabama

2012       Masters of Science, Military Operational Art and Science

  Distinguished Graduate, Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell AFB, Alabama

2018        Masters of Science, Military Strategic Studies

                 Air War College, Grand Strategy Seminar

               

ASSIGNMENTS

  1. February 1999–August 2001, Criminal and Counterintelligence Investigator, OSI Detachment 805, F.E. Warren Air Force Base (AFB), Wyoming
  2. August 2001–December 2002, Student, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham
  3. December 2002–June 2003, Central Systems Fraud Investigator, OSI Detachment 101, Wright Patterson AFB, Ohio
  4. June 2003–June 2004, Chief, Central System Fraud, 1st Field Investigations Region, Wright Patterson AFB, Ohio (June 2004–December 2004, Team Chief, Strategic Counterintelligence Directorate, Baghdad, Iraq)
  5. December 2004–October 2005, Counterintelligence Campaign Officer, 1st Field Investigations Region, Wright Patterson AFB, Ohio
  6. October 2005–June 2007, Commander, OSI Detachment 104, Eglin AFB, Florida
  7. August 2007–July 2008, Commander, OSI Expeditionary Detachment 2404, Manas Air Base, Kyrgyzstan
  8. September 2008–July 2011, Deputy Associate Director, Program Integration, Strategic Programs and Requirements Directorate, Headquarters OSI, Andrews AFB, Maryland
  9. July 2011–July 2012, Student, Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell AFB, Alabama
  10. July 2012–January 2014, Political-Military Affairs Strategist, Oceania Desk Officer, PACAF A5I, Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii
  11. January 2014–August 2014, Political-Military Affairs Strategist, Australia Country Director, USPACOM J53, Camp H. M. Smith, Hawaii
  12. August 2014–July 2016, Commander, 8th Field Investigations Squadron, Peterson AFB, Colorado
  13. July 2016–July 2017, Chief, Plans and Programs, 8th Field Investigations Region, Peterson AFB, Colorado
  14. July 2017–June 2018, Student, Air War College, Maxwell AFB, Alabama
  15. July 2018–May 2019, Associate Director, Mission Assessment Division, OSI ICON Center, Quantico
  16. May 2019–November 2019, Theater Counterintelligence Coordinating Authority (CJ2X), Resolute Support Headquarters, Kabul Afghanistan
  17. November 2019–June 2020, Vice Commander, OSI ICON Center, Quantico
  18. July 2020–Present, Military Instructor and Air Force Chair, College of International Security Affairs, National Defense University, Fort McNair, Washington, D.C.

 

SUMMARY OF JOINT ASSIGNMENTS

  1. January 2014–August 2014, Political-Military Affairs Strategist, Australia Country Director, USPACOM J53, Camp H. M. Smith, Hawaii
  2. May 2019–November 2019, Theater Counterintelligence Coordinating Authority (CJ2X), Resolute Support Headquarters, Kabul Afghanistan
  3. July 2020–Present, Military Instructor, College of International Security Affairs, National Defense University, Fort McNair, Washington, D.C.

 

MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS

Defense Meritorious Service Medal, with one oak leaf cluster

Meritorious Service Medal, with five oak leaf clusters

Joint Service Commendation Medal

Air Force Commendation Medal, with two oak leaf clusters

Joint Meritorious Unit Award

Meritorious Unit Award, with two oak leaf clusters

Air Force Outstanding Unit Award, with “V” device and two oak leaf clusters

Air Force Organizational Excellence Award, with one oak leaf cluster

National Defense Service Medal

Afghanistan Campaign Medal

Iraq Campaign Medal, with two devices

Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal

Global War on Terrorism Service Medal

Air Force Overseas Ribbon Short, with one oak leaf cluster

Air Force Expeditionary Service Ribbon with Gold Border

Air Force Longevity Service, with four oak leaf clusters

Small Arms Expert Marksmanship Ribbon, with one device (M11 and M16)

Air Force Training Ribbon

NATO Medal

 

OTHER ACHIEVEMENTS

OSI Outstanding Small Detachment of the Year for 1999, 2000, and 2001

OSI 8th Field Investigations Region Company Grade Officer of the Year 2000

University of Alabama of Birmingham Department of Justice Sciences Outstanding Graduate Student for Academic Year 2001-2002

Women in Federal Law Enforcement Outstanding Federal Law Enforcement Employee for 2005 (national-level award)

OSI Lance P. Sijan Leadership Award, Company Grade Officer Category, 2006

OSI 1st Field Investigative Region Company Grade Officer of the Year 2006

OSI 1st Field Investigative Region Outstanding Large Detachment of the Year for 2007

HQ OSI Strategic Programs & Requirements Directorate Field Grade Officer of Year for 2009

HQ OSI Field Grade Officer of the Year for 2010

HQ PACAF/A5I Field Grade Officer of the Year for 2012

OSI 8th Field Investigations Region Squadron of the Year for 2014 and 2015

 

EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION

Second Lieutenant              10 Jan 1999

First Lieutenant                    10 Jan 2001

Captain                                10 Jan 2003

Major                                    01 Aug 2008

Lieutenant Colonel               01 Feb 2014

Colonel                                 01 Apr 2020

 

(Current as of July 2020)