Col. Travis D. Rex is the Vice Commander of the 35th Fighter Wing, Misawa Air Base, Japan. The fighter wing is composed of nearly 3,100 personnel with an annual facilities, operations and maintenance budget of more than $165 million. The base supports eight associate units from three U.S. military services (Air Force, Army, and Navy) and the Japan Air Self-Defense Force.
Colonel Rex is a native of Orange, California, and was commissioned in 1995 as a distinguished graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy. He earned his wings through Joint Specialized Undergraduate Training at Vance AFB, Oklahoma, and was awarded the AETC Commander's Trophy as top graduate in 1998. His first operational assignment was to Misawa AB, Japan, where he deployed in support of Operation Southern Watch in 2000. He has held a variety of leadership positions throughout his career including Flight Commander, Chief of Standardization and Evaluations, Squadron Commander, Director of Operations and Chief of Safety. Prior to his current position, Colonel Rex served as the Squadron Commander of the 8th Operations Support Squadron, Kunsan Air Base, Republic of Korea.
Colonel Rex is a command pilot with over 2,200 hours in three major commands with over 100 hours in combat and combat support in Southwest Asia.
EDUCATION:
1995 Bachelor of Science, Engineering Sciences, Distinguished Graduate, U.S. Air Force Academy, Colorado Springs, CO
1997 Master of Science, Mechanical Engineering, George Washington University, Washington D.C.
2003 Squadron Officer School, Distinguished Graduate, Maxwell AFB, AL
2007 Master of Military Operational Art and Science, Distinguished Graduate, Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell AFB, AL
2012 Air War College (in correspondence)
2015 Master of Military Strategy, U.S. Army War College, Carlisle Barracks, PA
ASSIGNMENTS
1. August 1995 - December 1996, Student, George Washington University, Washington D.C.
2. January 1997 - February 1998, Student Pilot, Undergraduate Pilot Training, Vance Air Force Base, Okla.
3. March 1998 - May 1998, Student Pilot, Introduction to Fighter Fundamentals, Columbus Air Force Base, Miss.
4. June 1998 - February 1999, F-16 student pilot, 61st Fighter Squadron, Luke AFB, Ariz.
5. March 1999 - February 2002, Chief of Scheduling, 14th Fighter Squadron, Misawa AB, Japan
6. March 2002 - May 2003, Air Liaison Officer, Joint Terminal Attack Controller and Standardization and Evaluations Officer, 604th Air Support Operations Squadron, Camp Red Cloud, South Korea
7. August 2003 - July 2006, Flight Commander and Flight Examiner, 4th Fighter Squadron, Hill AFB, Utah
8. July 2006 - June 2007, Student, Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
9. July 2007 - July 2008, Operations Area Chief Evaluator and Project Officer, TACEVAL, NATO Command Component Air South, Izmir, Turkey
10. September 2008 - June 2011, Chief, Standardization and Evaluations, 388th Operations Group, Hill AFB, Utah
11. August 2011 - December 2012, Director of Operations, 21st Fighter Squadron, Luke AFB, Ariz.
12. December 2012 - June 2013, Chief of Safety, 56th Fighter Wing, Luke AFB, Ariz.
13. June 2013 - June 2014, Commander, 8th Operations Support Squadron, Kunsan Air Base, Republic of Korea
14. July 2014 - July 2015, Student, U.S. Army War College, Carlisle Barracks, Pa.
15. July 2015 - Present , Vice Commander, 35th Fighter Wing, Misawa AB, Japan
FLIGHT INFORMATION:
Rating: command Pilot
Flight Hours: more than 2,200
Aircraft Flown: T-37, T-38 and F-16
MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS:
Defense Meritorious Service Medal
Meritorious Service Medal (three oak leaf clusters)
Air Medal
Aerial Achievement Medal
Joint Service Commendation Medal
Air Force Commendation Medal (oak leaf cluster)
Air Force Achievement Medal
EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION:
Second Lieutenant May 31, 1995
First Lieutenant May 31, 1997
Captain May 31, 1999
Major July 1, 2005
Lieutenant Colonel March 1, 2009
Colonel June 1, 2015
(Current as of July 2015)