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Lieutenant Colonel DOUGLAS A. HICKEY

Lt. Col. Douglas A. Hickey is Deputy Commander at Air Force Mortuary Affairs Operations, Dover Air Force Base, Delaware. AFMAO is a Field Operating Agency under Deputy Chief of Staff, Manpower, Personnel and Services, Headquarters Air Force. AFMAO has global responsibility for all Air Force mortuary matters for current and past conflicts, operates the nation’s sole port mortuary and provides global contingency mortuary response teams in support of Air Force and combatant command requirements.

Colonel Hickey began his military career as a Navy Diver conducting repair and salvage operations in the Pacific theater and subsequently received his commission through Air Force Officer Training School in 2004.  He has served at all levels of the force support career field, both at home station and deployed, to include section command and unit command positions.

Colonel Hickey served as Commander, 14th Force Support Squadron, Columbus Air Force Base, Mississippi.  He has also served staff tours at Air Staff, European Command, Air Force Installation and Mission Support Center, and Air Force Services Center.  He has also deployed for Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom, and participated in support of European Command, Northern Command, Central Command, and Indo-Pacific Command Exercises.

Prior to his current position, Colonel Hickey served as Chief, Strategic Plans and Operation for the Directorate of Manpower and Personnel at Headquarters European Command.  He led a team of 17 military and civilian personnel responsible for the accountability of 115,000 members across the theater, quality of life program policy, military entitlements, Noncombatant Evacuation Operations Tracking System program management and execution, and the management of contingency joint manning documents for Security Assistance Group – Ukraine, North Atlantic Treaty Organization Security Assistance and Training for Ukraine, Joint Task Force 406 and NATO units in the Balkans, Sarajevo, and Kosovo.

EDUCATION
1992 Bachelor of Science, Health and Fitness, Springfield College, Springfield, Mass.
1999 Master of Science, Educational Leadership, Troy State University, Troy, Ala.
2004 Air and Space Basic Course, Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala.
2009 Squadron Officer School, Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala.
2016 Air Command and Staff College, by correspondence
2021 Air War College, by correspondence
 
ASSIGNMENTS
1. September 1995 - September 2001, Navy Diver, Mobile Diving and Salvage Unit One, Pearl Harbor, Hawaii
2. August 2004 - October 2005, Officer-in-Charge, Sports & Fitness, 20th Services Squadron, Shaw Air Force Base, S.C.
3. October 2005 - June 2007, Officer-in-Charge, Readiness & Mortuary Affairs, 20th Services Squadron, Shaw AFB, S.C. (Jan 2007 - May 2007, Deputy Commander, 386th Expeditionary Services Squadron, Ali Al Salem Air Base, Kuwait)
4. June 2007 - June 2009, Protocol Officer, HQ United States Air Force, Washington, D.C. (November 2008 - May 2009, Chief of Protocol, 386th Air Expeditionary Wing, Ali Al Salem AB, Kuwait)
5. June 2009 - September 2011, Deputy, Commissioning Programs Branch, Headquarters, United States Air Force, Washington, D.C. (April 2010 - December 2010, Action Officer, Education and Training Team, Department of Defense Comprehensive Review Working Group, Office of the Secretary of Defense, Washington, D.C. ; February 2011 - August 2011, Officer in Charge, Manpower & Personnel/Future Operations, 466th Air Expeditionary Group, Camp Phoenix, Kabul, Afghanistan)
6. September 2011 - July 2012, Manpower & Personnel Flight Commander, 374th Force Support Squadron, Yokota AB, Japan
7. July 2012 - August 2013, Operations Officer, 374th Force Support Squadron, Yokota AB, Japan
8. August 2013 - July 2015, Deputy Commander, 374th Force Support Squadron, Yokota AB, Japan
9. July 2015 - July 2016, Section Commander, Air Force Installation & Mission Support Center, Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, Texas
10. July 2016 – June 2017, Executive Officer, Air Force Services Center, Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, Texas
11. June 2017 – July 2019, Commander, 14th Force Support Squadron, Columbus AFB, Miss.
12. July 2019 – August 2020, Deputy Chief, Airman & Family Care Division, HQ United States Air Force, Washington, D.C.
13. August 2020 – June 2021, Chief, Armed Forces Entertainment, HQ United States Air Force, Washington, D.C.
14. June 2021 – June 2022, Deputy Commander, 821st Space Base Group and Deputy Installation Commander, Thule Space Base, Greenland
15. July 2022 - July 2025, Chief, Strategic Plans and Operations, Directorate of Manpower and Personnel, HQ European Command, United States Army Garrison - Stuttgart, Germany
16. July 2025 - Present, Deputy Commander, Air Force Mortuary Affairs Operations, Dover AFB, Del.
 
SUMMARY OF JOINT ASSIGNMENTS
  1. July 2022 – July 2025, Chief, Strategic Plans and Operations, Directorate of Manpower and Personnel, Headquarters European Command, United States Army Garrison – Stuttgart, Germany, as a Lieutenant Colonel
MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
Defense Meritorious Service Medal
Meritorious Service Medal with five oak leaf clusters
Air Force Commendation Medal with three oak leaf clusters
Joint Service Achievement Medal
Navy Achievement Medal
Meritorious Unit Award with two oak leaf clusters
Air Force Outstanding Unit Award with four oak leaf clusters
Air Force Organizational Excellence Award
Afghanistan Campaign Medal with device
NATO Medal
 
EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION
Second Lieutenant August 2004
First Lieutenant August 2006
Captain August 2008
Major February 2015
Lieutenant Colonel July 1, 2019
 

(Current as of July 2025)