Colonel VALARIE A. LONG

Colonel Valarie A. Long is the Commander, 423d Air Base Group, Royal Air Force Alconbury, United Kingdom. She is responsible for a four-base complex consisting of over 950 facilities and more than 1,000 acres with a value in excess of $800 million. Her unit provides the full range of operational, logistical, engineering, medical, and communications support and community services to 6,500 military and civilian personnel and their families at RAF Alconbury, RAF Molesworth, and RAF Menwith Hill in the United Kingdom and the 426th Air Base Squadron at Stavanger, Norway. She also serves as host for 12 multi-service, multi-national, and interagency mission partners, including the U.S. European Command JIOCEUR Analytic Center, NATO's Intelligence Fusion Centre, and U.S. Africa Command's J2 Molesworth.

Prior to her current assignment, she was the Director of Information Warfare at the 603d Air Operations Center, Ramstein AB, Germany. Her division provided the ability to effectively command & control operations in the information environment ranging from steady-state to combat operations. Col. Long earned her commission from the Air Force Academy in 1997. She has served in various leadership positions at the Squadron, Major Command, Headquarters Air Force and Combatant Command levels. 

EDUCATION

1997 Bachelor of Science in Political Science, United States Air Force Academy, Colorado Springs, CO
1998 Fundamentals of Intelligence and Intelligence Applications Officer Course, Goodfellow AFB, TX
2002 Squadron Officer School, Air University, Maxwell AFB, AL
2008 Master of Arts in Political Science, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA
2010 Master of Military Operational Art and Science, Air Command and Staff College, Air University, Maxwell AFB, AL
2012 Air War College, Air University, Maxwell AFB, AL, by correspondence

ASSIGNMENTS
1.  Oct 97 - Jul 98, Student, Intelligence Officer Course, Goodfellow Air Force Base, TX
2.  Sep 98 - Sep 99, Deputy Chief, Collection Management Element, 607th Air Intelligence Squadron, Osan AB, Republic of Korea
3.  Sep 99 - Mar 03, Flight Commander, Pacific Air Intelligence Squadron, Hickam AFB, Hawaii
        (Aug 01 - Dec 01, Watch Officer and Theater Collection Officer, Aeroporto Dal Molin, Vicenza, Italy)
4.  Mar 03 - May 06, Assistant Executive Officer, Intelligence Directorate, Air Combat Command, Langley AFB, VA
        (Jul 03-Nov 03, Intelligence Officer, Joint Search and Rescue Center, Combined Air Operations Center, Al Udeid AB, Qatar)
5.  May 06 - Jul 09, Chief, Russia Branch, Intelligence Directorate, HQ NORAD - USNORTHCOM, Peterson AFB, CO
6.  Aug 09 - Jun 10, Student, Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell AFB, AL
7.  Jun 10 - Jun 13, Director of Operations, 314th Training Squadron, Presidio of Monterey, CA
       (May 12 - Jan 13, Chief of Plans, ISR Division, International Security Assistance Force Joint Command, Afghanistan)
8.  Jun 13 – Jun 15, Commander, 392d Intelligence Squadron, Hickam AFB, HI
9.  Jun 15 – Jul 17, Branch Chief, ISR Plans, Directorate of Plans and Programs, Headquarters Air Force, Pentagon, VA
10. Jul 17 – Jul 18, Deputy Commander, 517th Training Group, Presidio of Monterey, CA
11. Jul 18-Jun 19, Director of Intelligence, Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Wright-Patterson AFB, OH
12. Jun 19-Jun 20, Director, ISR Ops and Targeting Division, HQ Resolute Support/US Forces – Afghanistan, Kabul, AFG
13. Sep 20 – Jul 22, Director, Information Warfare Division, 603d AOC, Ramstein, AB, Germany
14. Jul 22 – present, Commander, 423d Air Base Group, RAF Alconbury, UK

MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
Bronze Star
Defense Meritorious Service Medal with oak leaf cluster
Meritorious Service Medal with five oak leaf clusters
Air Force Commendation Medal with two oak leaf clusters
Joint Service Achievement Medal with two oak leaf clusters

EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION
Second Lieutenant May 28, 1997
First Lieutenant May 28, 1999
Captain May 28, 2001
Major Nov. 1, 2006
Lieutenant Colonel Feb. 1, 2012
Colonel Aug. 1, 2018

(Current as of July 2023)