Col. Carl Magnusson is the Commander of the 94th Airlift Wing, Dobbins Air Reserve Base, Georgia. The wing is equipped with eight C-130H3 cargo aircraft that support joint service and multi-national airlift missions both in the United States and around the world. The wing is comprised of nearly 2,000 personnel, and includes a headquarters element, three groups and 13 squadrons.
Additionally, Col. Magnusson has command responsibility for the entire installation serving as host for over 12,000 tenant personnel and 13 tenant units, including 22nd Air Force, Air Force Plant 6 and Lockheed-Martin, the Georgia Army and Air National Guard and the Army, Navy and Marine Corps Reserve.
The colonel is a 1990 graduate of the University of Oklahoma, earning his regular commission through Air Force ROTC. He joined the Air Force Reserve in 1999, serving as a KC-135 Instructor Navigator and Instructor Pilot. A Joint Qualified Officer, he has deployed globally in support of exercises, contingencies, and the NASA Airborne Science Program. In his previous assignment, Colonel Magnusson commanded the 914th Air Refueling Wing, Niagara Falls Air Reserve Station, New York.
Col. Magnusson has over 5,000 flying hours in various U.S. Air Force and NASA aircraft.
EDUCATION
1990 Bachelor of Business Administration, University of Oklahoma, Norman, Okla.
1994 KC-135 Central Flight Instructor Course--Navigator, Altus AFB, Okla.
1998 Master of Business Administration, University of North Dakota, Grand Forks, N.D.
2000 Squadron Officers School, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
2003 Contingency Wartime Planning Course, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
2003 Joint Air Operations Planning Course, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
2003 Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
2006 KC-135 Instructor Aircraft Commander Course, Altus AFB, Okla.
2011 Joint Information Operations Orientation Course, Norfolk, Va.
2012 Air War College, Air Reserve Component Seminar, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
2014 Advanced Joint Professional Military Education, Norfolk, Va.
2020 KC-135 Aircraft Commander Transition Course, Altus AFB, Okla.
ASSIGNMENTS
1. January 1992 – October 1992, Specialized Undergraduate Navigator Training, Mather AFB, Calif.
2. October 1992 – March 1993, Student, Combat Crew Training Course, Castle AFB, Calif.
3. March 1993 – August 1994, Navigator, Altus AFB, Okla.
4. August 1994 – August 1998, Instructor Navigator, Grand Forks AFB, N.D.
5. June 1999 – December 2000, Navigator, Beale AFB, Calif.
6. January 2001 – January 2002, Joint Specialized Undergraduate Pilot Training, Vance AFB, Okla.
7. February 2002 – February 2005, Wing Plans Officer, Beale AFB, Calif.
8. February 2005 – November 2007, Assistant Director of Operations, Beale AFB, Calif.
9. November 2007 – June 2009, Deputy Chief of Pacific Influence Operations, Beale AFB, Calif.
10. July 2009 – January 2011, Deputy Director of Air, Space, and Information Operations, Beale AFB, Calif.
11. January 2011 – August 2011, Director of Air, Space, and Information Operations, Beale AFB, Calif.
12. August 2011 – April 2012, Director of Staff, Beale AFB, Calif.
13. April 2012 – November 2015, Joint Crisis and Contingency Planner and Joint Fires Element Chief of Plans, Future Operations Division, Headquarters U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, Camp H. M. Smith, Hawaii
14. November 2015 – September 2017, Director, Joint Exercise Control Group, Training and Exercises Division, Headquarters U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, Camp H. M. Smith, Hawaii. (August 2016 – January 2017, Chief, Operations Integration Cell-Turkey, Ankara, Turkey)
15. September 2017 – July 2020, Chief of Plans Division, Headquarters Air Force Reserve Command, Robins AFB, Ga. (April – October 2019, Chief of Staff, Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan)
16. June 2020 – September 2021, Commander, 914th Air Refueling Wing, Niagara Falls ARS, N.Y.
17. October 2021 – Present, Commander, 94th Airlift Wing, Dobbins ARB, Ga.
SUMMARY OF JOINT ASSIGNMENTS
1. April 2012 – November 2015, Joint Crisis and Contingency Planner and Joint Fires Element Chief of Plans, Future Operations Division, Headquarters U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, Camp H. M. Smith, Hawaii, as a lieutenant colonel and colonel.
2. November 2015 – September 2017, Director, Joint Exercise Control Group, Training and Exercises Division, Headquarters U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, Camp H. M. Smith, Hawaii, as a colonel.
3. August 2016 – January 2017, Chief, Operations Integration Cell-Turkey, Ankara, Turkey, as a colonel.
FLIGHT INFORMATION
Rating: Command Pilot, Senior Navigator
Flight hours: More than 5,000
Aircraft Flown: KC-135A/E/R/T, HH-60, EC-130H, DC-8-72, C-20A, YRQ-4A, B-200
MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
Defense Meritorious Service Medal with oak leaf cluster
Meritorious Service Medal with three oak leaf clusters
Aerial Achievement Medal with three oak leaf clusters
Joint Service Commendation Medal
Air Force Commendation Medal with two oak leaf clusters and C-Device
Air Force Achievement Medal
EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION
Second Lieutenant Dec. 21, 1990
First Lieutenant June 30, 1993
Captain June 30, 1995
Major Oct. 1, 2002
Lieutenant Colonel Oct. 1, 2009
Colonel Aug. 1, 2015
(Current as of October 2021)