Colonel AARON M. "VANDAL" GIBNEY

Col. Aaron M. Gibney is the Commander, of the 505th Combat Training Group, Nellis Air Force Base, Nev.  As Commander, Col. Gibney is responsible for the development, experimentation, integration, and training of command and control weapon systems for Joint All-Domain Command and Control operations. The 505th CTG includes more than 430 personnel and is a subordinate unit of the 505th Command and Control Wing located at Hurlburt Field, Fla

Col. Gibney entered the U.S. Air Force in 1999 after graduating from Indiana University.  In 2015, he took command of the 606th Air Control Squadron at Spangdahlem Air Base, Germany and relocated his squadron’s Airmen and equipment to Aviano AB, Italy.  The colonel is a Master Air Battle Manager with operational and combat experience in the Control and Reporting Center, Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System (JSTARS), U.S. Air Forces Central’s (AFCENT) Combined Air Operations Center, and U.S. Air Forces in Europe’s (USAFE) Air Operations Center. 

He has more than 1,600 flying hours including more than 700 combat hours supporting Operations ENDURING FREEDOM, IRAQI FREEDOM, FREEDOM’s SENTINAL, and INHERENT RESOLVE.   Prior to his current position, the colonel was the Chief of the Futures and Concepts Division, Deputy Chief of Staff for Strategy, Integration and Requirements, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, the Pentagon, Arlington, Va.

 

EDUCATION

1999 Bachelor of Arts, History, Indiana University, Bloomington

2006 USAF Squadron Officer School, Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala.

2006 USAF Weapons Instructor Course, Nellis AFB, Nev.

2007 Master of Business Administration and Management, Trident University International, Cypress, Calif.

2008 Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell AFB, Ala., by correspondence

2011 Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell AFB, Ala.

2012 School of Advanced Air and Space Studies, Maxwell AFB, Ala.

2014 Air War College, Maxwell AFB, Ala., by correspondence

2018 Blue Horizons Fellowship, Maxwell AFB, Ala.

 

ASSIGNMENTS

1. July 1999 – September 2000, Undergraduate Air Battle Manager Training, 325th Training Squadron, Tyndall AFB, Fla.

2. September 2000 – June 2003, Instructor Air Weapons Officer, 16th Airborne Command and Control Squadron (ACCS), Robins AFB, Ga.

3. June 2003 – June 2004, Instructor Senior Director, 932nd Air Control Squadron, Keflavik Naval Air Station, Iceland

4. June 2004 – June 2006, Instructor Senior Director, 16th ACCS, Robins AFB, Ga.

5. July 2006 – December 2006, Air Force Weapons School, 8th Weapons School, Nellis AFB, Nev.

6. December 2006 – August 2008, Squadron Weapons Officer, Evaluator Senior Director, 16th ACCS, Robins AFB, Ga.

7. August 2008 – October 2009, Chief Wing Weapons and Tactics, 325th Operational Support Squadron, Tyndall AFB, Fla.

8. October 2009 – August 2010, Assistant Director of Operations, 325th Air Control Squadron, Tyndall AFB, Fla.

9. August 2010 – June 2011, Student, Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell AFB, Ala.

10. June 2011 – July 2012, Student, School of Advanced Air and Space Studies, Maxwell AFB, Ala.

11. July 2012 – April 2014, Chief of Strategy Plans - USAFE/AFAFRICA, 603rd Air Operations Center, Ramstein AB, Germany

12. April 2014 – June 2015, Director of Operations, 606th Air Control Squadron, Spangdahlem AB, Germany

13. June 2015 – July 2016, Commander, 606th Air Control Squadron, Spangdahlem AB, Germany

14. August 2016 – June 2017, Commander, 606th Air Control Squadron, Aviano AB, Italy

15. June 2017 – June 2018, Blue Horizons Fellowship, Maxwell AFB, Ala.

16. June 2018 – June 2019, Deputy Division Chief, Futures and Concepts, U.S. Air Force Warfighting Integration Capability, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, the Pentagon, Arlington, Va.

17. June 2019 – June 2020, Joint All-Domain Cross Functional Team, U.S. Air Force Warfighting Integration Capability, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, the Pentagon, Arlington, Va.

18. June 2020 – June 2021, Chief of the Futures and Concepts Division, Deputy Chief of Staff for Strategy, Integration and Requirements, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, the Pentagon, Arlington, Va.

19. June 2021 – present, Commander, 505th Combat Training Group, Nellis AFB, Nev.

 

FLIGHT INFORMATION

Rating:  master air battle manager

Flight Hours:  more than 1,600

Combat Hours:  714

Aircraft Flown:  E-8C JSTARS, E-3G Sentry

 

MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS

Meritorious Service Medal with four oak leaf clusters

Air Medal with three oak leaf clusters

Air Force Commendation Medal with two oak leaf clusters

 

EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION

Second Lieutenant – June 6, 1999

First Lieutenant – June 6, 2001

Captain – June 6, 2003

Major – March 1, 2009

Lieutenant Colonel – Sept. 1,  2014

Colonel – Aug. 1, 2020

 

(Current as of June 2023)