Col. Joseph R. Augustine is Vice Commander, 96th Test Wing, Air Force Materiel Command, Eglin Air Force Base, Florida. He leads more than 9,800 military, civilian, and contractor personnel, in accomplishing the 96th Test Wing’s missions of developmental testing and evaluation of conventional munitions, command and control systems, aircraft avionics and guidance systems, and radar cross section measurement. The 96th Test Wing has eight groups and 32 squadrons, operates 38 uniquely modified test aircraft, and manages 120,000 square miles of over-water test ranges plus facilities in six states. He also directs all base operating support, infrastructure, and services support for the Air Force’s largest installation at 724 square miles. The 96th Test Wing hosts eight tenant wings and wing equivalent units—to include the 33d Fighter Wing (F-35 Joint Strike Fighter), U.S. Army 7th Special Forces Group (Airborne), Joint Explosive Ordnance Disposal Training Center—and 37 other associate units including the U.S. Army 6th Ranger Training Battalion and the 20th Space Control Squadron. As vice commander, he interacts with local officials across a three- county, 11-city region with an annual military economic impact of $2.7 billion.
His previous assignment was the Flight Test Division Chief at Air Force Material Command Headquarters, Wright Patterson AFB, Ohio.
Augustine graduated from the U.S Air Force Academy in 1999 with a degree in Mechanical Engineering and a Math Minor. He completed his Master’s degree in Engineering from Colorado State University. Following his graduation from Undergraduate Pilot Training at Fort Rucker, Alabama, he completed a tour as a UH-1N evaluator pilot at the 76th Helicopter Squadron, Vandenberg AFB, California. Augustine then graduated Test Pilot School as an Exchange Officer at the United Kingdom’s Empire Test Pilot School at RAF Boscombe Down, United Kingdom. Following Test Pilot School, Augustine conducted flight test programs on the CV-22 and UH-1 variants and was the 46 Operations Group Chief of Training at Eglin AFB, Florida. Following Eglin, he was a Distinguished Graduate of Air Command and Staff College at Maxwell AFB, Alabama, was the Chief of the Commander’s Action Group at the Air Force Operational Test and Evaluation Center, and was a Superior Graduate of the US Army War College at, Carlisle Barracks, Pennsylvania.
EDUCATION:
1999 Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering, Mathematics minor, U.S. Air Force Academy, Colo.
2004 Squadron Officer School, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
2006 Test Pilot School, Empire Test Pilot School, Boscombe Down, United Kingdom
2008 Masters of Engineering in Mechanical Engineering, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colo.
2011 Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell AFB, Ala. (Distinguished Graduate)
2016 Air War College Non-Resident Program, Air University Correspondence
2018 US Army War College In-Resident Program, Carlisle Barracks, Penn. (Superior Graduate)
ASSIGNMENTS:
1. June 1999 - March 2000, Scheduling Officer, 34th Fighter Squadron, Hill AFB, Utah
2. March 2000 - October 2000, Undergraduate Pilot Training, 84th Flying Training Squadron, Laughlin AFB, Texas
3. October 2000 - October 2001, Undergraduate Helicopter Pilot Training, 23rd Flying Training Squadron, Ft. Rucker, Ala.
4. October 2001 - December 2005, UH-1N Evaluator Pilot and Chief of Standardization & Evaluation, 76 Helicopter Squadron, Vandenberg AFB, Calif.
5. December 2005 - December 2006, Test Pilot Student, Empire Test Pilot School, RAF Boscombe Down, United Kingdom
6. December 2006 - February 2008, Rotary Wing Experimental Test Pilot on CV-22, UH-1N, and TH-1H, 413th Flight Test Squadron, Hurlburt Field, Fla.
7. February 2008 - July 2010 Operations Group Chief of Training, 46 Operations Group, Eglin AFB, Fla.
8. July 2010 - June 2011 Air Command and Staff College student, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
9. June 2011 - April 2012, Program Manager, then Chief of Cyber Test Division in A-3 followed by Chief of the Commander’s Action Group, AFOTEC, Kirtland AFB, N.M.
10. April 2012 - February 2014, Director of Staff, 58th Special Operations Wing, Kirtland AFB, N.M.
11. February 2014 - February 2017, Commander, Assistant Operations Officer, Operations Officer and Evaluator
Pilot, 58th Training Squadron, Kirtland AFB, N.M.
12. February 2017 - July 2017, Special Assistant to the Commander, 58th Special Operations Wing, Kirtland AFB, N.M.
13. July 2017 – June 2018, US Army War College, Academic Year 2018 Resident Student, Carlisle Barracks, Penn.
14. Jun 2018 – Feb 2020, Chief, Foreign Military Sales, MAP-J, US Embassy, Amman, Jordan.
15. Mar 2020 – June 2021, Division Chief, Flight Test Division, Headquarters AFMC, Wright Patterson AFB, Ohio.
16. June 2021 - Present, Vice Commander, 96th Test Wing, Eglin AFB, Fla.
FLIGHT INFORMATION:
Rating: Command Pilot
Flight hours: More than 2300
Aircraft flown: UH-1N, CV-22 and more than 30 others
MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS:
Meritorious Service Medal (with two devices)
Aerial Achievement Medal (with one device)
Air Force Commendation Medal
Air Force Achievement Medal
Combat Readiness Medal
Small Arms Expert Marksmanship Ribbon (Pistol)
EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION:
Second Lieutenant June 2, 1999
First Lieutenant June 2, 2001
Captain June 2, 2003
Major December 2, 2008
Lieutenant Colonel June 1, 2014
Colonel June 1, 2020
(Current as of August 22)