Brigadier General Mark A. Massaro is the Commander, 96th Test Wing, Air Force Materiel Command, Eglin Air Force Base, Fla. He leads more than 10,000 military, civilian, and contractor personnel, in accomplishing the 96th TW’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 TW 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 726 square miles. The 96th TW hosts nine tenant wings and wing equivalent units — to include the 33rd Fighter Wing (F-35 Joint Strike Fighter), 53rd Wing (Operational Test), 350th Spectrum Warfare Wing, 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 Surveillance Squadron. As commander, he interacts with local officials across a three- county, 11-city region with an annual military economic impact of $10.8 billion.
Brig. Gen. Massaro earned his commission in 1998 as a distinguished graduate from Reserve Officer Training Corps Detachment 165 at the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta, Ga. He later served as an Experimental Test Pilot at Eglin and Edwards conducting flight test operations in F-16, Fighting Falcon, and F-35 Lightning II. He deployed in support of Operation Allied Force, Southern Watch, Iraqi Freedom, and Enduring Freedom.
Brig. Gen. Massaro is a Command Pilot with more than 2,200 flight hours in more than 30 aircraft and has flown more than 100 combat hours in the F-16.
EDUCATION
1998 Bachelor of Civil Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Ga.
2005 Distinguished Graduate - Squadron Officer School, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
2007 Master of Science, Flight Test Engineering, U.S. Air Force Test Pilot School, Edwards AFB, Calif.
2010 Master of Military Operational Art and Science with academic distinction, Air University, correspondence
2011 Distinguished Graduate - Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
2013 Air War College, correspondence
2018 Senior Acquisition Course, Defense Acquisition University
2018 Distinguished Graduate - Masters of Science, National Resource Strategy, Eisenhower School, National Defense University, Washington D.C.
ASSIGNMENTS
September 1998 – June 1999, Adjutant, 81st Fighter Squadron, Spangdahlem AB, Germany
June 1999 – December 2000, Distinguished Graduate – Student Pilot, JSUPT, Vance AFB, Okla.
December 2000 – February 2001, Student Pilot, Introduction to Fighter Fundamentals, Moody AFB, Ga.
March 2001 – November 2001, F-16 Student Pilot, F-16 Basic Fighter Qualification Course, 61st Fighter Squadron, Luke AFB, Ariz.
November 2001 – June 2004, F-16 Flight Lead, Assistant Weapons Officer, Scheduler, 389th Fighter Squadron, Mountain Home AFB, Idaho
June 2004 – January 2006, F-16 Instructor/Evaluator Pilot, Chief of Standardization and Evaluation, 309th Fighter Squadron, Luke AFB, Ariz.
January 2006 – July 2006, Stan Eval, 56th Operations Group, Luke AFB, Ariz.
August 2006 – December 2006, Flight Commander, 309th Fighter Squadron, Luke AFB, Ariz.
December 2006 – December 2007, Student Test Pilot, USAF Test Pilot School, Edwards AFB, Calif.
December 2007 – July 2010, F-16 Experimental Test Pilot, Assistant Director of Operations, 40th Flight Test Squadron, Eglin AFB, Fla.
July 2010 – June 2011, Student Air Command and Staff College, Air University, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
June 2011 – June 2013, F-35 Chief of Test and Mission Systems Requirements, HQ ACC Strategic Plans and Programs Directorate, Langley AFB, Va.
June 2013 – May 2015, Director of Operations, F-35 Experimental Test Pilot, 461th Flight Test Squadron, Edwards AFB, Calif.
June 2015 – June 2017, Commander, 412nd Operations Support Squadron, Edwards AFB, Calif.
July 2017 – June 2018, Student, Eisenhower School for National Resource Strategy, National Defense University, Fort McNair, Washington D.C.
June 2018 – June 2019, Deputy Chief, Air Force Test and Evaluation Policy, Programs, and Resources Division, Pentagon, Washington D.C.
June 2019 – June 2020, Chief, Air Force Test and Evaluation Policy, Programs, and Resources Division, Pentagon, Washington D.C.
June 2020 – August 2022, Commander, 495th Fighter Group (Active Associate), Shaw AFB, S.C.
August 2022 – June 2024, Commander, Data Masked
June 2024 – present, Commander, 96th Test Wing, Eglin AFB, Fla.
FLIGHT INFORMATION
Rating: Command Pilot
Flight hours: More than 2,200 Combat hours: 110
Aircraft flown: F-35A/B/C, F-16, T-38, Talon, and more than 30 other aircraft types
MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
Legion of Merit
Meritorious Service Medal with two oak leaf clusters
Air Medal
Aerial Achievement Medal with nine oak leaf clusters
Air Force Commendation Medal with one oak leaf cluster
Air Force Achievement Medal with one oak leaf cluster
Air Force Combat Action Medal
AETC Commander’s Trophy, Joint Specialized Undergraduate Pilot Training
Defense Acquisition University Award for Excellence in Research and Writing
Distinguished Alumni Award Georgia Institute of Technology Ivan Allen College
EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION
Second Lieutenant: Sept. 18, 1998
First Lieutenant: Sept. 11, 2000
Captain: Sept. 11, 2002
Major: June 1, 2008
Lieutenant Colonel: October 1, 2013
Colonel: Nov. 1, 2019
Brigadier General (frocked) July 3, 2024
(Current as of July 2024)