Colonel Edward T. Spinelli is the Commander, 422d Air Base Group, headquartered at Royal Air Force Croughton, United Kingdom. He leads more than 800 personnel in providing combat support for United States Air Forces-Europe, Air Combat Command, Air Force Global Strike Command, seven Combatant Commands, and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. Organized into seven squadrons the group is spread across four bases: RAF Croughton, RAF Fairford, RAF Welford and RAF Blenheim Cresent. The group enables global command and control; global intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance; and global strike operations by operating a unique global communications site, the United States' only bomber forward operating location in Europe, and the second-largest capacity munitions facility in Europe.
Col. Spinelli received his commission in 1997 through the Air Force Reserve Officer Training Program upon graduation with High Honors from the Rochester Institute of Technology with a Bachelor of Science degree in Information Technology.
Col. Spinelli is a Master Air Battle Manager with over 2,300 flight hours in the E-3 and is a veteran of nine combat deployments.
EDUCATION
1997 Bachelor of Science in Information Technology, Rochester Institute of Technology, N.Y .
2003 Squadron Officer School, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
2006 Master of Business Administration, New York Institute of Technology.
2007 Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell AFB, Ala., by correspondence
2012 Joint Professional Military Education Phase II, Joint Forces Staff College, NS Norfolk ,Va.
2013 Air War College, Maxwell AFB, Ala., by correspondence
ASSIGNMENTS
1. May 1997 - December 1997: Special Projects Officer, AFROTC Detachment 538, Rochester, N.Y.
2. December 1997 - November 1998: Student, Air Battle Manager Basic Course, 325th Training Squadron, Tyndall AFB, Fla.
3. November 1998 - September 2001: 960th AACS Assistant Flight Commander and 965th AACS Air Weapons Officer, 552d Air Control Wing, Tinker AFB, Okla.
4. September 2001 - September 2005: Chief OWHQ Plans, Chief AFSOUTH Exercises, and SQ3 US Flight Commander, NATO E-3A Component Operation Wing Headquarters, Geilenkirchen AB, Germany
5. September 2005 - November 2008: Director of Operations, Assistant Director of Operations, and Chief of Current Operations, 729th Air Control Squadron, Hill AFB, Utah
6. November 2008 - July 2011: Director, Wing Inspections/Readiness and 552d OSS Assistant Director of Operations, 552 Air Control Wing, Tinker AFB, Okla.
7. July 2011 - January 2013: Chief, C2 Operations, Combined Air Operations Center 5, Poggio Renatico AB, Italy
8. January 2013 - July 2013: Director, DARS & US National Support Element, DACCC, Poggio Renatico AB, Italy
9. July 2013 – July 2014: Director of Operations, NATO E-3A Component Flying Sq 2, Geilenkirchen AB, Germany
10. July 2014 – July 2016: Commander, NATO E-3A Component Flying Sq 1 & Commander, US Operations Squadron, Geilenkirchen AB, Germany
11. July 2016 – September 2018: Deputy Chief, Combat Operations Division, 603d Air Operations Center, Ramstein AB, Germany
12. September 2018 – March 2019: Chief, Current Operations Division, United States Air Forces in Europe and United States Air Forces Africa (USAFE-AFAFRICA A3O), Ramstein AB Germany
13. March 2019 – June 2020, Deputy to the Director of Operations, Strategic Deterrence and Nuclear Integration for the United States Air Forces in Europe and United States Air Forces Africa (USAFEAFAFRICA A3/10D), Ramstein AB, Germany
14. June 2020 – July 2022, Chief, Office of Defense Cooperation, US Embassy Belgium, Brussels, Belgium
15. July 2022 – Present, Commander, 422d Air Base Group, Royal Air Force Croughton, United Kingdom
MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
Legion of Merit
Defense Meritorious Service Medal with two oak leaf clusters
Meritorious Service Medal with two oak leaf clusters
Air Medal
Aerial Achievement Medal
Joint Service Commendation Medal
Air Force Commendation Medal with oak leaf cluster
Joint Service Achievement Medal with oak leaf cluster
Air Force Achievement Medal
Joint Meritorious Unit Award
Meritorious Unit Award with oak leaf cluster
Air Force Outstanding Unit Award with three oak leaf clusters
PUBLICATIONS:
Unfinished Business: Refining the Air Component Structure, Air & Space Power Journal – Winter 2020
EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION
Second Lieutenant May 23, 1997
First Lieutenant June 1, 1999
Captain June 1, 2001
Major April 1, 2007
Lieutenant Colonel July 1, 2012
Colonel Dec. 1, 2018
(Current as of July 2023)