Col Brian Cusson is Vice Commander at 944th Fighter Wing, United States Air Force Reserve, Luke Air Force Base, Arizona. As Vice Commander, he is responsible for an expeditionary combat support and Total Force associate wing. The 944th Fighter Wing is tasked to support worldwide mobility and combat employment operations in conjunction with supporting the Air Education and Training Command and Air Combat Command mission to train F-16, F-35, F-15E and A-10 pilots for the United States Air Force, Air Force Reserve, Air National Guard and other participating nations.
Col Cusson is a 1997 graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy. He attended Euro-NATO Joint Jet Pilot Training at Sheppard Air Force Base, Texas and A-10 initial qualification training at Davis-Monthan AFB, Arizona, where he was the distinguished graduate. Col Cusson’s operational assignments include duty as flight commander, instructor pilot, weapons officer, weapons school instructor, operational test pilot, chief of standardization & evaluations, director of operations, fighter squadron commander, deputy fighter group commander, and fighter group commander.
Col Cusson is a Command Pilot with over 3,700 total hours, including more than 3,500 hours in the A-10. He has flown over 370 combat hours in Operations ENDURING FREEDOM and IRAQI FREEDOM.
EDUCATION
1997 Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering, U.S. Air Force Academy, Colorado
2003 Distinguished Graduate, Squadron Officer School, Maxwell AFB, Alabama
2004 US Air Force Weapons School, Nellis AFB, Nevada
2008 Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell AFB, Alabama, by correspondence
2008 Master of Business Administration, TUI University, Cypress, California
2015 Reserve Component National Security Course, National Defense University, Washington D.C.
2016 Air War College, Maxwell AFB, Alabama, by seminar
ASSIGNMENTS
1. January 1998 - February 1999, Student, Euro-NATO Joint Jet Pilot Training, Sheppard Air Force Base (AFB), Texas
2. March 1999 - June 1999, Student, IFF, 49th Flying Training Squadron, Columbus AFB, Mississippi
3. July 1999 - October 1999, A-10 qualification training, 357th Fighter Squadron, Davis-Monthan AFB, Arizona
4. November 1999 - September 2002, A-10 instructor, Chief of Stan Eval, 355th Fighter Squadron, Eielson AFB, Alaska
5. October 2002 - December 2003, A-10 instructor, Flight Commander, 25th Fighter Squadron, Osan AB, Korea
6. January 2004 - June 2004, Student, US Air Force Weapons School, Nellis AFB, Nevada
7. July 2004 - August 2006, Weapons & Tactics Officer, 74th Fighter Squadron, Pope AFB, North Carolina
8. September 2006 - May 2009, Director of Operations, 66th Weapons Squadron, Nellis AFB, Nevada
9. June 2009 - January 2012, Director of Operations, 355th Training Squadron, Davis-Monthan AFB, Arizona
10. February 2012 - December 2013, Chief of Stan Eval, 924th Fighter Group, Davis-Monthan AFB, Arizona
11. December 2013 – March 2016, Deputy Commander, 924th Fighter Group, Davis-Monthan AFB, Arizona
12. April 2016 – September 2017, Commander, 47th Fighter Squadron, Davis-Monthan AFB, Arizona
13. October 2017 – March 2018, Deputy Commander, 924th Fighter Group, Davis-Monthan AFB, Arizona
14. April 2018 – September 2020, Commander, 924th Fighter Group, Davis-Monthan AFB, Arizona
15. October 2020 – July 2022, Individual Mobilization Augmentee to Chief of AF Requirements, Pentagon, Washington
16. August 2022 - Present, Vice Commander, 944th Fighter Wing, Luke AFB, Arizona
FLIGHT INFORMATION
Rating: Command Pilot
Flight hours: 3,500
Aircraft flown: A/OA-10A, A-10C, T-37, AT-38B
MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
Legion of Merit
Bronze Star
Meritorious Service Medal with two oak leaf clusters
Air Medal with three oak leaf clusters
Aerial Achievement Medal with oak leaf cluster
Air Force Commendation Medal with two oak leaf clusters
Combat Readiness Medal with two oak leaf clusters
National Defense Service Medal with device
Armed Forces Expeditionary Service Medal
Afghanistan Campaign Medal with three devices
Iraq Campaign Medal with device
Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal
Global War on Terrorism Service Medal
Korean Defense Service Medal
Armed Forces Reserve Medal with device
NATO Medal with device
EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION
Second Lieutenant May 28, 1997
First Lieutenant May 28, 1999
Captain May 28, 2001
Major December 1, 2006
Lieutenant Colonel September 1, 2013
Colonel April 1, 2018
(CURRENT AS OF AUG 2022)