Justin Mitnaul
Fairview Heights,IL
Summary
Special operations aviation professional with 10+ years of experience in supporting and operating in the spec ops community. Proven leader familiar with work in fast-paced, constantly changing environments. Detail-oriented critical thinker with a mind for analysis. Expert in oral and written communication with a strong academic background in psychology. Strong work ethic and self-motivated with high standards. Combat-proven military officer and leader. Experienced fixed-wing special operations instructor pilot with over 2,000 flight hours. Current TS/SCI security clearance.
Overview
8
8
years of professional experience
Work History
Chief, Special Operations Airlift Branch
United States Air Force
Scott AFB, IL
03.2020 - Current
- Lead 10-member team in planning and executing five sensitive, airlift and air refueling programs supporting elite special operations forces
- Contribute to planning and execution of more than 300 worldwide airlift missions per day in support of national objectives at the Department of Defense’s largest Air Operations Center
- Consistently interacts with senior leaders across multiple organizations through oral and written communication
Wing Training Officer/Instructor Pilot
United States Air Force
Charleston, SC
11.2018 - 03.2020
- Oversaw five critical areas of aircrew training to include: C-17A formal upgrade, aircrew development, local flying program, simulator training and ground training
- Managed currency requirements for three flying squadrons totaling over 500 aircrew
- Facilitated efficient use of $11B of aircraft assets to ensure over 90% Wing readiness
- Created semi-annual training plan, organizing 740 training sorties over a six month period
- Streamlined scheduling process to ensure most efficient use of time for over 250 pilots
- Extracted, consolidated, organized and analyzed large amounts of data using Microsoft Excel and subsequently presented findings to senior leaders and stakeholders
- As an aircraft commander, led crew into rapidly changing, hostile environment to deliver 36k lbs of critical supplies to special operations forces in an austere location via combat airdrop
Special Operations Training Flight Commander
United States Air Force
Charleston, SC
11.2016 - 11.2018
- Managed schedules of 125 aircrew members and organized over 700 flight hours to ensure continuous coverage for Wing’s number one alert mission
- Developed and enacted new Special Operations pilot upgrade academic syllabus teaching new tactics to crew force
- Authored first ever Special Operations guide which consolidated and streamlined Special Operations standard operating procedures
- Developed process that used a specific set of prerequisites to identify and recruit qualified pilots for the special operations program which led to a manning increase of 21% over the course of one year
Squadron Training and Executive Officer
United States Air Force
Charleston, SC
11.2013 - 11.2016
- Responsible for providing executive and administrative assistance to the squadron commander
- Responsible for writing staff awards, promotion packages and citations
- Aided in budgeting and resource management while providing clear and concise communication to relay commander’s guidance to subordinate units
- Forecasted, facilitated and monitored 11k training events annually for 180 squadron members
- Managed and updated tactics products that directly contributed to the safe execution of missions in Southwest Asia, Africa and Europe
- Briefed 121 personnel and prepared 151 sorties transiting 14 airfields in the Middle East resulting in 100% deployed mission success
Education
Ph.D. - Industrial/Organizational Psychology
Capella University
Minneapolis, MN05.2025
Master of Science - Industrial/Organizational Psychology
Grand Canyon University
Phoenix, AZ10.2018
Bachelor of Science - Behavioral Science - Human Factors
United States Air Force Academy
Colorado Springs, CO05.2011
Skills
- Team Leadership
- Training Management
- Records Organization and Management
- Policy Development and Enforcement
- Verbal and Written Communication
- Assignment Delegation
- Decision Making
- Staff Scheduling
- Program Optimization
- Administrative Management
- Presentation Development and Delivery
Timeline
Chief, Special Operations Airlift Branch
United States Air Force
03.2020 - Current
Wing Training Officer/Instructor Pilot
United States Air Force
11.2018 - 03.2020
Special Operations Training Flight Commander
United States Air Force
11.2016 - 11.2018
Squadron Training and Executive Officer
United States Air Force
11.2013 - 11.2016
Ph.D. - Industrial/Organizational Psychology
Capella University
Master of Science - Industrial/Organizational Psychology
Grand Canyon University
Bachelor of Science - Behavioral Science - Human Factors
United States Air Force Academy