Col. Chip W. Hollinger is the Commander, 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 Hollinger enlisted in the Air Force in 1989 and served 11 years as a behavioral health specialist before receiving his commission through Officer Training School in 2000. He has served in various support and command positions, both deployed and stateside.
Prior to assuming his current role, Colonel Hollinger was the Assistant Director, Joint Officer Management, Office of the Secretary of Defense, Pentagon, Washington, D.C. In that capacity, he supported the policies and programs that ensure the Total Force (Active, National Guard, and Reserve) of the United States is ready for missions assigned by the President and the Secretary of Defense. He is a graduate of the National Defense University, Eisenhower School, where he earned a Master of Science Degree in National Resource Strategy.
EDUCATION
1996 Associate of Applied Science, Allied Health, Community College of the Air Force, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
1997 Bachelor of Science, Psychology, University of Maryland, College Park
1999 Master of Science, Human Resource Management and Public Administration, Webster University, St. Louis, Mo.
2000 Aerospace Basic Course, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
2004 Squadron Officer School, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
2012 Air Command and Staff College, by correspondence
2013 Army Command and General Staff College, Fort Leavenworth, Kan.
2017 Air War College, Maxwell AFB, Ala., by correspondence
2019 Master of Science, National Resource Strategy, National Defense University (Eisenhower School), Fort Lesley McNair, Washington, D.C.
ASSIGNMENTS
1. June 2000 - May 2002, Chief of Plans and Force Management, Goodfellow AFB, Texas
2. May 2002 - July 2003, Assistant Lodging Manager, Peterson AFB, Colo. (March - July 2003, Deputy Commander, 447th Expeditionary Services Squadron, Baghdad, Iraq)
3. August 2003 - August 2004, Executive Officer, 21st Mission Support Group, Peterson AFB, Colo.
4. August 2004 - July 2006, Deputy Director, 30th Services Division, Vandenberg AFB, Calif.
5. July 2006 - June 2009, Course Director, Air Force Institute of Technology, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio
6. June 2009 - April 2011, Operations Officer, 48th Force Support Squadron, RAF Lakenheath, United Kingdom (January - July 2010, Director of Operations, 732d Expeditionary Support Squadron, Joint Base Balad, Iraq)
7. April 2011 - June 2012, Director of Staff, 48th Fighter Wing, RAF Lakenheath, United Kingdom (August - November 2011, Commander, 776th Expeditionary Air Base Squadron, Kalamata Air Base, Greece)
8. June 2012 - June 2013, Student, U.S. Army Command and General Staff College, Fort Leavenworth, Kan.
9. June 2013 - July 2015, Commander, 509th Force Support Squadron, Whiteman AFB, Mo.
10. July 2015 - August 2017, Deputy Commander, Air Force Mortuary Affairs Operations, Dover AFB Del.
11. August 2017 - August 2018, Executive Assistant for Force Support and Family Programs, Office of the Secretary of the Air Force, Pentagon, Washington, D.C.
12. August 2018 - June 2019, Student, National Defense University, Fort McNair, Washington, D.C.
13. June 2019 - June 2020, Military Assistant, Office of the Secretary of Defense, Assistant Secretary of
Defense (Readiness), Pentagon, Washington, D.C.
14. June 2020 - July 2021, Assistant Director, Joint Officer Management, Office of the Secretary of Defense, Assistant Secretary of Defense (Manpower and Reserve Affairs), Pentagon, Washington, D.C.
15. July 2021 - Present, Commander, Air Force Mortuary Affairs Operations, Dover AFB, Del.
SUMMARY OF JOINT ASSIGNMENTS
1. June 2019 - June 2020, Military Assistant, Office of the Secretary of Defense, Assistant Secretary of Defense (Readiness), Pentagon, Washington, D.C., as a lieutenant colonel
2. June 2020 - July 2021, Assistant Director, Joint Officer Management, Office of the Secretary of Defense, Assistant Secretary of Defense (Manpower and Reserve Affairs), Pentagon, Washington, D.C., as a lieutenant colonel
MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
Defense Meritorious Service Medal
Meritorious Service Medal with seven oak leaf clusters
Air Force Commendation Medal with four oak leaf clusters
Army Commendation Medal
Air Force Achievement Medal with oak leaf cluster
Army Achievement Medal
Iraq Campaign Medal with three devices
Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal
Global War on Terrorism Service Medal
Air and Space Campaign Medal
Nuclear Deterrence Operations Service medal with oak leaf cluster North Atlantic Treaty Organization Medal
EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION
Second Lieutenant May 26, 2000
First Lieutenant May 26, 2002
Captain May 26, 2004
Major Dec. 1, 2009
Lieutenant Colonel May 1, 2015
Colonel July 1, 2021
(Current as of July 2021)