Colonel Blaine Baker is the Commander of Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps Detachment 765 at The Citadel in Charleston, South Carolina. Colonel Baker is responsible for the supervision and training of one of the largest cadet corps in the Air Force, with more than 450 cadets. He also serves as the Professor of Aerospace Studies instructing senior level cadet curriculum; his staff of motivated officers and non-commissioned officers administers a robust training program, to include formal classroom instruction, challenging leadership practicums, physical fitness, and officer candidate mentoring.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Colonel Baker commissioned in 2000 from The Citadel\u2019s ROTC program in Charleston, SC. He first earned his navigator wings at Randolph AFB, TX in 2001, and subsequently earned his pilot wings at Laughlin AFB, TX in 2005. Colonel Baker has served as Electronic Warfare Officer, AC-130U, and as an Instructor Pilot in the C-17A aircraft. Colonel Baker holds a Command Pilot rating with over 3,200 flying hours and 937 combat hours; he has deployed nine times in support of overseas and domestic contingency operations. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Colonel Baker is a distinguished graduate of Air Command and Staff College, and served on the U.S. Transportation Command staff. Additionally, he served as Commander, 821st Contingency Response Squadron, where he led airfield openings in Iraq supporting the counter-ISIS Mosul offensive. Prior to his current duties, he commanded the 97th Air Mobility Wing at Altus AFB, OK, and then served as Director, Senior Official Investigations for the Air Force Inspector General.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
2000 Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration, The Citadel, Charleston, SC.
2006 Squadron Officer School, Maxwell AFB, AL.
2011 Master of Arts in Education, Webster University, St. Louis, MO.
2013 Master of Science in Military Science, Air Command and Staff College, Montgomery, AL.
2020 Graduate, Royal College of Defense Studies, London, United Kingdom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
August 2000 \u2013 June 2001, Student, Joint Specialized Undergraduate Navigator Training, Randolph AFB TX.
June 2001 \u2013 July 2004, Electronic Warfare Officer, 4th Special Operations Squadron, Hurlburt Field, FL.
August 2004 \u2013 August 2005, Student, Joint Undergraduate Pilot Training, Laughlin AFB, TX.
January 2006 \u2013 January 2010, Assistant Operations Officer, and Instructor Aircraft Commander, 16th Airlift Squadron, Charleston AFB, SC
February 2010 \u2013 June 2012, Chief Wing Executive Officer, 15th Wing, Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, HI.
July 2012 \u2013 June 2013, Student, Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell AFB, AL.
July 2013 \u2013 June 2015, Joint Mobility Operations Officer, Operations and Plans directorate (J3), US Transportation Command, Scott AFB, IL.
September 2015 \u2013 to June 2016, Operations Officer, 921st Contingency Response Squadron, Travis AFB, CA.
June 2016 \u2013 May 2018, Commander, 821st Contingency Response Squadron, Travis AFB, CA.
June 2018 \u2013 June 2019, Executive Officer to the Commander, Air Mobility Command, Scott AFB, IL.
September 2019 \u2013 15 July 2020, Student, Royal College of Defense Studies, London, United Kingdom.
July 2020 \u2013 June 2021, Vice Wing Commander, 100th Air Refueling Wing, RAF Mildenhall, United Kingdom.
July 2021 \u2013 July 2023, Commander, 97th Air Mobility Wing, Altus AFB, OK. August 2023 \u2013 June 2025, Director, Complaints Resolution, Secretary of the Air Force IG, Washington DC.
June 2025 \u2013 July 2026, Director, Senior Official Investigations, Secretary of the Air Force IG, Washington DC.
July 2026 \u2013 Present, Commander, Air Force ROTC Detachment 765<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Rating: Command Pilot
Flight hours: More than 3,200
Aircraft flown: T-43, T-6, AC-130U, KC-135R, KC-46, and C-17A<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Legion of Merit with Oak Leaf Cluster
Bronze Star Medal
Defense Meritorious Service Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster
Meritorious Service Medal
Air Medal with five oak leaf clusters
Aerial Achievement Medal
Army Commendation Medal
Air Force Commendation Medal with one oak leaf cluster
Air Force Achievement Medal with one oak leaf cluster
Joint Meritorious Unit Award
Meritorious Unit Award
Air Force Outstanding Unit Award
Combat Readiness Medal
National Defense Service Medal
Afghanistan Campaign Medal
Operation Inherent Resolve Campaign Medal
Global War On Terrorism Expeditionary Medal
Inherent Resolve Campaign Medal
Global War On Terrorism Service Medal
Air Force Expeditionary Service Ribbon with Gold Border
Humanitarian Service Medal
NATO Medal (ISAF)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Second Lieutenant, July, 2000
First Lieutenant, July, 2002
Captain, July, 2004
Major, July, 2010
Lieutenant Colonel, October 2015
Colonel, March 2020
(CURRENT AS OF July 2026)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Colonel Blaine Baker is the Commander of Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps Detachment 765 at The Citadel in Charleston, South Carolina. Colonel Baker is responsible for the supervision and training of one of the largest cadet corps in the Air Force, with more than 450 cadets. He also serves as the Professor of Aerospace […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":719,"parent":0,"template":"","meta":{"_coblocks_attr":"","_coblocks_dimensions":"","_coblocks_responsive_height":"","_coblocks_accordion_ie_support":""},"class_list":["post-69","person","type-person","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"yoast_head":"\n