Colonel Michael S. Masuda serves as the Reserve Component Chair at the National Defense University (NDU). In his prior duty he was Deputy and interim Wing Commander for the 459th Air Refueling Wing. Previously, he was the IMA to the Chief, House Liaison Office, Legislative Liaison, office of the Secretary of the Air Force. Additionally, he served as a Senior Military Advisor within the Executive Secretariat for the Secretary of the Air Force. He is a 2022 graduate of the NDU, where he studied international security affairs.
Col. Masuda was commissioned in 2001 as a graduate of the Air Force Academy and subsequently earned his pilot wings in 2002 graduating from Pilot Training at Columbus AFB, Miss. In 2002, he also completed C-17 initial qualification, and his first operational assignment was to the 4th Airlift Squadron, McChord AFB, Wash. Here he upgraded to C-17 instructor airdrop pilot and served as a Wing Tactics officer. In 2007, he was reassigned to Elmendorf AFB, Alaska, to facilitate the transition of the 517th Airlift Squadron to C-17 operations. Thereafter, in 2010 he returned to McChord and led the 4th Airlift Squadron as the Chief of Standardization and Evaluations. During this assignment he deployed as the 817th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron, Director of Operations, to Incirlik Air Base, Turkey. In 2011 Col. Masuda transitioned to the Air Force Reserves where he served as an evaluator pilot and tactician for the 446th Airlift Wing. As a reservist, he also represented Air Force Reserve Command as a delegate to the Interallied Confederation of Reserve Officers (CIOR) for five years, which culminated in conferences at NATO Headquarters.
Notably, he is an Antarctica Ice Instructor pilot for the National Science Foundation’s Deep Freeze program. His experience over two decades spans operational missions covering the Horn of Africa, Operation Enduring Freedom, and Operation Iraqi Freedom. Furthermore, he directly supported the White House as a Presidential Advance Agent overseeing logistics for worldwide diplomatic missions. Col. Masuda is a command pilot with more than 5,000 flying hours, including 933 combat hours, in the T-37, T-1, C-17, and KC-135. In his civilian capacity, he is a B-737 first officer with a commercial airline.
EDUCATION
2001 Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering, Air Force Academy, Co.
2006 Master of Science in Physics, University of Washington, Seattle, Wa.
2008 Squadron Officer School, Maxwell AFB, Al.
2011 Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell AFB, Al., by correspondence
2015 Advanced Joint Professional Military Education, Joint Forces Staff College, Norfolk, Va.
2018 Air War College, Maxwell AFB, Al., by correspondence
2022 Master of Arts, College of International Security Affairs, National Defense University, Fort McNair, Washington, D.C.
2022 Reserve Component National Security Course (RCNSC), Fort McNair, Washington, D.C.
2024 Nuclear 400 Course, AFIT Nuclear College, Kirtland AFB, Nm.
2025 Wing Command Team Course, Maxwell AFB, Al.
ASSIGNMENTS
1. June 2001-October 2001, Jumpmaster, 98th Flying Training Squadron, Air Force Academy, Co.
2. November 2001-November 2002, Student, Specialized Undergraduate Pilot Training, Columbus Air Force Base, Mi.
3. December 2002-February 2003, Student, C-17 Initial Qualification, 58th Airlift Squadron, Altus AFB, Ok.
4. March 2003-August 2007, C-17 Instructor and Tactics Officer, 4th Airlift Squadron, McChord AFB, Wa.
5. September 2007-September 2010, C-17 Instructor/Chief of Base Plans, 517th Airlift Squadron, JBER, Ak.
6. October 2010-October 2011, C-17 Instructor/Flight Commander, 4th Airlift Squadron, Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wa.
7. November 2011-January 2012, Director of Operations, 817th Expeditionary Squadron, Incirlik AB, Turkey
UNITED STATES AIR FORCE
8. February 2012-November 2012, C-17 Chief of Standardization/Evaluations, 4th Airlift Squadron, JBLM, Wa.
9. December 2012-November 2018, C-17 Assistant Chief of Standardization/Evaluation, 313th Airlift Squadron, JBLM, Wa.
10. January 2018-March 2018, Executive Officer, PACAF/A3, Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hi.
11. November 2018-March 2021, Commander, 728th Airlift Squadron, JBLM, Wa.
12. March 2021-June 2021, 446th Deputy Operations Group Commander, JBLM, Wa.
13. June 2021-July 2021, 611th Air Operations Center, JBER, Ak.
14. July 2021-June 2022, Student, College of International Security Affairs, NDU, Fort McNair, Washington, D.C.
15. June 2022-August 2022, 446th Deputy Operations Group Commander, JBLM, Wa.
16. August 2022-May 2023, Chief, Executive Secretariat, the Pentagon, Arlington, Va.
17. May 2023-July 2024, IMA to the Chief, House Liaison Office, Legislative Liaison, office of the Secretary of the Air Force, the Pentagon, Arlington, Va.; and Senior Military Advisor to the Director of the Executive Secretariat, Office of the Secretary of the Air Force, the Pentagon, Arlington, Va.
18. July 2024-June 2025, Deputy Commander, 459th Air Refueling Wing, Joint Base Andrews, Md.
19. June 2025-January 2026, Wing Commander, 459th Air Refueling Wing, Joint Base Andrews, Md.
20. January 2026-present, NDU Reserve Component Chair, NDU, Fort McNair, Washington, D.C.
FLIGHT INFORMATION
Rating: command pilot
Flight hours: more than 5,000 hours, including 933 combat hours
Aircraft flown: T-37, T-1, C-17, KC-135
MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
Meritorious Service Medal with three oak leaf cluster
Air Medal with two oak leaf clusters
Aerial Achievement Medal
Air Force Commendation Medal with two oak leaf clusters
Air Force Combat Action Medal
Meritorious Unit Award
Air Force Outstanding Unit Award with five oak leaf clusters
Combat Readiness Medal
National Defense Service Medal
Antarctic Service Medal
Afghanistan Campaign Medal with two bronze service stars
Iraq Campaign Medal with bronze service star
Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal
Global War on Terrorism Service Medal
Nuclear Deterrence Operations Service Medal with oak leaf cluster
AF Overseas Ribbon Long with oak leaf cluster
Air Force Expeditionary Service Ribbon with Gold Border
AF Longevity Service with four oak leaf clusters
Small Arms Expert Marksmanship Ribbon (Pistol)
AF Training Ribbon
EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION
Second Lieutenant May 30, 2001
First Lieutenant May 30, 2003
Captain May 30, 2005
Major March 1, 2011
Lieutenant Colonel March 1, 2018
Colonel May 8, 2023
(Current as of January 2026)