Col. Jon R. Baum is currently the commander of the 439th Mission Support Group (MSG), Westover Air Reserve Base, Massachusetts. He leads more than one thousand Citizen Airmen and civilians in seven squadrons and four functional areas that provide peacetime and contingency mission readiness support for the Air Force Reserve Command. The MSG provides support services for over 4,700 installation personnel encompassing the 439th Airlift Wing as well as 15 tenant organizations.
Col. Baum commissioned in the United States Air Force in May 2000 as a Distinguished Graduate of Officer Training School, Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama. He entered the Air Force Reserve in 2007. Col. Baum is a career Logistics Readiness Officer with multiple operational deployments. He has also served as Operations Officer, Squadron Commander, CENTCOM Air Transportation Coordinator, Installation Deployment Officer, and Deputy Division Chief, Strategy and Planning Division at Head Quarters Air Force Staff Reserve Directorate. His military experience is commensurate with a professional civilian career. While serving as a Traditional Reservist Col. Baum was concurrently employed as a Senior Distribution Operations and Production Manager for a Fortune 30 company leading over 700 employees servicing 149 locations across the Northeastern United States. His responsibilities entailed all matters of commercial supply chain, distribution, and transportation management disciplines as well as professional staff development, hiring, assessment, forecasting, strategic planning, project management and performance analysis.
Prior to his current assignment, Col. Baum served as Chief, of Congressional Engagements for the Air Force Reserve's Policy Integration Directorate, HQ USAF/REI, Pentagon, Washington D.C. In this role he supported the Chief of Air Force Reserve in reporting to OSD, OMB and the U.S. Congress, the Air Force Reserve program, budget and legislative agenda. In addition, Col. Baum integrated diverse Air Force Reserve requirements into prepared Congressional correspondence with the intent to deliver both formal and informal presentations to Congressional staffers, professional associations, and high-level officials. He prioritized legislative initiatives and top AFR issues and is prepared to advocate and defend the AFR position on said initiatives that require DoD's opinion and advises AFR leadership on the impact of enacted legislation.
EDUCATION
1999 Bachelor of Science in Education, State University of NY College at Cortland
2000 USAF Officer Training School, Maxwell AFB, AL
2003 Masters of Art, Human Relations, Oklahoma University, OK
2005 Squadron Officer School – Distance Learning
2006 Squadron Officer School, Maxwell AFB, AL
2008 Target Leadership Academy, Target HQ, Minneapolis, MN
2013 Air Command and Staff College – Distance Learning
2016 Army Command and General Staff College, Fort Leavenworth KS
2019 Air War College - Distance Learning
2020 Reserve Component National Security Course, National Defense University, Fort McNair, Washington D.C.
2021 Masters of Science, National Security Strategy - Weapons of Mass Destruction Studies concentration, National War College, National Defense University, Fort McNair, Washington D.C.
ASSIGNMENTS
1. 2001 – 2002, Vehicle Maintenance Flight/CC, 100th Transportation Squadron, RAF Mildenhall, England
2. 2002 – 2003, Officer In Charge (OIC), Contingency Planning and Training, 100th LRS, RAF Mildenhall, England
3. 2003 – 2004, Management and Systems Flight/CC, 100th LRS, RAF Mildenhall, England (Jan 2003-Jul 2003, Chief of Supply 376th ELRS, Manas AB Kyrgyzstan)
4. 2004 – 2005, OIC, Aerial Port Operations, 21st AMOS, McGuire AFB, NJ (Oct 2005-Mar 2006, Air Transportation Coordinator, CENTCOM DDOC, Camp Arifjan, Kuwait)
5. 2005 – 2006, Assistant Operations Flight/CC, 21st Air Mobility Operations Squadron, McGuire AFB, NJ
6. 2006 – 2007, HQ USAF Log Career Broadening Program, Oklahoma City ALC, Tinker AFB, OK
7. 2007 – 2008, OIC, Air Freight Services, 58th Aerial Port Squadron, Westover ARB, MA (IRR 2008-2011)
8. 2011 – 2013, Squadron Ops Officer, 58th Aerial Port Squadron, Westover ARB, MA (Oct 2012 - Apr 2013, Wing IDO/Deployment & Distribution Flight/CC, 455th ELRS, Bagram AB, Afghanistan)
9. 2013 – 2015, IDO/Squadron Operations Officer, 439th Logistics Readiness Squadron, Westover ARB, MA
10. 2015 - 2016, IDE Student, Army Command and General Staff College, Fort Leavenworth, KS
11. 2016 - 2017, Commander, 512th Logistics Readiness Squadron, Dover AFB, DE
12. 2017 - 2019, Chief, Strategic Plans Branch, HQ USAF/REX Pentagon, Washington D.C.
13. 2019 - 2020, Deputy Chief, Strategy and Planning Division, HQ USAF/REXS Pentagon, Washington D.C.
14. 2020 - 2021, SDE Student, National War College, National Defense University, Ft. McNair, Washington D.C.
15. 2021 - 2023, Chief, AFR Congressional Engagements, HQ USAF/REI Pentagon, Washington D.C.
16. 2023 – present, Commander, 439th Mission Support Group, Westover ARB, Mass.
MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
Meritorious Service Medal with four oak leaf clusters
Joint Service Commendation Medal
Air Force Commendation Medal with two oak leaf clusters
Air Force Outstanding Unit Award with Valor device/six oak leaf clusters
National Defense Service Medal
Distinguished Graduate, USAF Officer Training School
Distinguished Graduate (equivalent), Army Command and General Staff College
Air Force Reserve Command Logistics Field Grade Officer of the Year
The General Thomas P. Gerrity Award
PROFESSIONAL CERTIFICATIONS
NORTHCOM accredited DSCA Phase 1 and Phase 2 certification
Target Corporation Distribution Certification
EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION
Second Lieutenant August 18, 2000
First Lieutenant August 18, 2002
Captain August 18, 2004
Major April 17, 2013
Lieutenant Colonel August 31, 2018
Colonel May 23, 2023
(Current as of May 2023)