Maj. Gen. Darren R. Cole is the Commander, Twenty-First Air Force – U.S. Air Force Expeditionary Center, Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, New Jersey. The Twenty-First Air Force and U.S. Air Force Expeditionary Center are the preeminent authority for expeditionary operations and support Air Mobility Command’s worldwide mission of providing Rapid Global Mobility to America’s armed forces. With more than 23,000 Airmen, the Twenty-First Air Force and U.S. Air Force Expeditionary Center are comprised of the Air Force Expeditionary School, nine AMC wings and one stand-alone group. These units span the globe in 38 locations across 15 countries, providing global air mobility support, airlift, air refueling and contingency response as well as building partnership capacity.
Maj. Gen. Cole earned his commission in 1992 through the Air Force ROTC program at the University of Illinois. He has commanded at the detachment, squadron, group, and wing levels and served in various positions within the Air Staff and combatant commands. He is a command pilot with more than 4,900 flying hours in the C-141, T-1, C-17, KC-10 and KC-46 including combat missions in operations Enduring Freedom, Iraqi Freedom, Resolute Support, and Inherent Resolve. Prior to his current position, Maj. Gen. Cole served as the Director of Operations, Strategic Deterrence and Nuclear Integration, Headquarters Air Mobility Command, Scott Air Force Base, Illinois..
Maj. Gen. Cole’s joint assignments include Executive Officer to the Commander U.S. Southern Command, Commander of the 438th Air Expeditionary Advisory Group, Kabul Afghanistan, and Director, U.S. Central Command Deployment and Distribution Operations Center and Deputy Director for Operations, USCENTCOM Logistics and Engineering Directorate, Camp Arifjan, Kuwait.
EDUCATION
1992 Bachelor of Arts, Geography, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, Ill., Distinguished Graduate
1999 Squadron Officer School, Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala., Outstanding Contributor
2002 Master of Science, International Relations, Troy State University, Troy, Ala.
2005 Basic Spanish Course, Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Institute, Presidio of Monterey, Ca., Distinguished Graduate
2006 Command and General Staff Course, Western Hemisphere Institute for National Security Cooperation, Fort Benning, Ga., Distinguished Graduate and Strategist Award
2012 Master of Strategic Studies, Air War College, Maxwell AFB, Ala., Highest Academic Distinction
2017 Leadership Development Program, Center for Creative Leadership, Greensboro, N.C.
2020 U.S. Air Force Executive Leadership Seminar, Kenan-Flagler School of Business, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
2023 Combined Forces Air Component Commander Course, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
ASSIGNMENTS
1. May 1993 – August 1994, Student, Specialized Undergraduate Pilot Training, Reese Air Force Base, Tx.
2. December 1994 – October 1997, Instructor Pilot, C-141B, Charleston AFB, S.C.
3. March 1998 – March 2001, Flight Commander, Instructor Pilot, T-1A, Vance AFB, Okla.
4. June 2001 – September 2004, Chief Standardization and Evaluation, C-17A, McChord AFB, Wa. (April 2004–July 2004, Commander, Detachment 2, 817th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron, Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar)
5. October 2004 – May 2005, Student Officer, Spanish Basic Course, Presidio of Monterey, Calif.
6. May 2006 – May 2008, Executive Officer to the Commander, U.S. Southern Command, Miami, Fla.
7. July 2007–May 2008, Aide-de-Camp, COMPACAF, Hickam AFB, Hawaii
8. July 2008 – June 2009, Chief of Safety, Hickam AFB, Hi. (January 2009–May 2009, Chief of Safety, 380th Air Expeditionary Wing, Southwest Asia)
9. June 2009 – June 2011, Commander, 15th Operations Support Squadron, Joint Base Pearl Harbor- Hickam, Hi.
10. June 2011 – May 2012, Student, Air War College, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
11. June 2012 – April 2014, Deputy Chief of Checkmate, Headquarters Air Force, the Pentagon, Arlington, Va.
12. April 2014 – April 2015, Commander, 438th Air Expeditionary Advisory Group, Kabul, Afghanistan.
13. May 2015 – June 2016, Chief of War Planning and Policy, Headquarters Air Force, the Pentagon, Arlington, Va.
14. July 2016 – July 2018, Commander, 305th Air Mobility Wing, Joint Base McGuire-Dix- Lakehurst, N.J.
15. August 2018 – August 2019, Director, U.S. Central Command Deployment and Distribution Operations Center and Deputy Director for Operations, USCENTCOM Logistics and Engineering Directorate, Camp Arifjan, Kuwait.
16. August 2019 – June 2021, Deputy Director of Resource Integration and Chief Information Officer, Deputy Chief of Staff for Logistics, Engineering, and Force Protection, Headquarters Air Force, the Pentagon, Arlington, Va.
17. June 2021 – July 2022, Director, Logistics, Engineering and Force Protection, Headquarters Air Mobility Command, Scott AFB, Ill.
18. July 2022 – June 2024, Director of Operations, Strategic Deterrence and Nuclear Integration, Headquarters Air Mobility Command, Scott Air Force Base, Ill.
19. July 2024 – September 2025, Director, Global Reach Programs, Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, the Pentagon, Arlington, Va.
20. September 2025 – Present, Commander, Twenty-First Air Force – U.S. Air Force Expeditionary Center, Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, N.J.
SUMMARY OF JOINT ASSIGNMENTS
1. May 2006 – May 2008, Executive Officer to the Commander, U.S. Southern Command, Fla., as a major and lieutenant colonel 2. April 2014 – April 2015, Commander, 438th Air Expeditionary Advisory Group, Kabul, Afghanistan, as a colonel 3. August 2018 – August 2019, Director, U.S. Central Command Deployment and Distribution Operations Center and Deputy Director, USCENTCOM Logistics and Engineering Directorate, Camp Arifjan, Kuwait, as a brigadier general
FLIGHT INFORMATION
Rating: command pilot
Flight hours: more than 4,900
Aircraft flown: T-37, T-1A, C-141B, C-17A, C-130H, Mi-17, MD-530, C-208, KC-10 and KC-46
MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
Defense Superior Service Medal
Legion of Merit
Bronze Star Medal
Defense Meritorious Service Medal
Meritorious Service Medal with two oak leaf clusters
Air Medal with oak leaf cluster
Aerial Achievement Medal
Air and Space Commendation Medal with oak leaf cluster
EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION
Second Lieutenant November 09, 1992
First Lieutenant November 09, 1994
Captain November 09, 1996
Major May 01, 2003
Lieutenant Colonel May 1, 2008
Colonel August 1, 2014
Brigadier General October 19, 2018
Major General June 24, 2022
(Current as of September 2025)