Col. Michael K. McKinney is the Deputy Commander, 314th Airlift Wing, Little Rock Air Force Base, Arkansas. The wing’s mission is to train over 1,000 C-130 aircrew members annually from across the Department of Defense and 47 partner nations and serve as the nation’s C-130 “Center of Excellence” for tactical airlift.
Col. McKinney earned his commission from the United States Air Force Academy in 2003 with a degree in Legal Studies and earned his pilot wings at Corpus Christi Naval Air Station, Texas, in 2005. He has performed in a variety of assignments including Command, Director of Operations, Deputy Group Command, Executive Officer, and Director of the Commander’s Action Group (Air Education and Training Command). Prior to his current position, he was a student at Air War College, Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama.
Col. McKinney is a command pilot with more than 2,200 hours in the C-130E/H/J. He has deployed and participated in a wide array of operations to include Enduring Freedom, Iraqi Freedom, and Operation New Dawn.
EDUCATION
2003 Bachelor of Science, Legal Studies, U.S. Air Force Academy, Colorado
Springs, Colo.
2009 Squadron Officer School, Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala.
2010 USAF C-130 Weapons School, Little Rock AFB, Ark.
2011 Master of Science, Aeronautical Science, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical
University, Daytona Beach, Fla.
2013 Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell AFB, Ala., by correspondence
2021 Air War College, Maxwell AFB, Ala., by correspondence
2025 Master of Science, Strategic Studies, Air War College, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
ASSIGNMENTS OR CAREER CHRONOLOGY
1. January 2004 – September 2004, Student, Undergraduate Pilot Training, Vance
Air Force Base, Okla.
2. September 2004 – April 2005, Student, Undergraduate Pilot Training, Corpus
Christi Naval Air Station, Texas
3. April 2005 – January 2006, Student, Basic Mission Qualification Student-C-130,
Little Rock AFB, Ark.
4. January 2006 – October 2008, Central Mission Scheduler, C-130H Aircraft
Commander, 39th Airlift Squadron, Dyess AFB, Texas
5. October 2008 – July 2010, Mobility Officer, C-130H Instructor Pilot, 39th Airlift
Squadron, Dyess AFB, Texas
6. July 2010 – December 2010, Student, United States Air Force Weapons School,
Little Rock AFB, Ark.
7. December 2010 – April 2011, Tactics Flight Commander, C-130H Evaluator
Pilot/Weapons Officer, 39th Airlift Squadron, Dyess AFB, Texas
8. April 2011 – October 2011, Deputy Chief of Tactics, Air Mobility Division,
Combined Air and Space Operations Center, Southwest Asia
9. October 2011 – December 2011, Tactics Flight Commander, C-130H Evaluator
Pilot/Weapons Officer, 39th Airlift Squadron, Dyess AFB, Texas
10. December 2011 – September 2014, United States Air Force Weapons School
Cadre, C-130H Evaluator Pilot/Weapons Officer, 29th Weapons Squadron,
Little Rock AFB, Ark.
11. September 2014 – January 2015, Student, C-130J Initial Qualification, Little
Rock AFB, Ark.
12. January 2015 – June 2015, Chief of Weapons and Tactics, 19th Operations
Group, Little Rock AFB, Ark.
13. June 2015 – May 2016, Chief, Command Post, 19th Airlift Wing, Little Rock
AFB, Ark.
14. May 2016 – June 2017, Deputy Division Chief, Global Operations Division,
618th Air Operations Center, Scott AFB, Ill.
15. June 2017 – May 2019, Director of Operations, 29th Weapons Squadron, Little
Rock AFB, Ark.
16. May 2019 – December 2020, Commander, 714th Training Squadron, 314th
Airlift Wing, Little Rock AFB, Ark.
17. December 2020 – June 2021, Deputy Commander, 314th Operations Group,
Little Rock AFB, Ark.
18. June 2021 – May 2022, Executive Officer to the Deputy Commander, AETC,
Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph, Texas
19. May 2022 – June 2023, Commanders Action Group Director, AETC, JBSA-
Randolph, Texas
20. June 2023 – June 2024, Deputy Commander, Air Force Security Assistance
Training, JBSA-Randolph, Texas
21. June 2024 – May 2025, Student, Air War College, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
22. May 2025 – Current, Deputy Commander, 314th Airlift Wing, Little Rock AFB,
Ark.
FLIGHT INFORMATION
Rating: Command Pilot
Flight hours: More than 2,200
Aircraft flown: C-130E/H/J
MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
Meritorious Service Medal with four oak leaf clusters
Air Medal with three oak leaf clusters
Air Force Commendation Medal
Air Force Achievement Medal
EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION
Second Lieutenant May 28, 2003
First Lieutenant May 28, 2005
Captain May 28, 2007
Major September 1, 2013
Lieutenant Colonel April 1, 2018
Colonel August 1, 2024
(Current as of June 2025)