COLONEL JOSEPH S. VALENTINO Published May 21, 2026 Official Photo of Colonel Joseph S. Valentino, USAF Photo Details / Download Hi-Res COLONEL JOSEPH S. VALENTINO Col. Joseph S. Valentino is the Chief of Staff and Dean of Students for Air War College, Maxwell AFB, Alabama. As the Chief of Staff, he directs and synchronizes five organizations underneath Air War College towards the Air University mission to educate and develop joint airpower warriors. As the Dean of Students, Col. Valentino supervises 223 senior developmental education U.S., international, and civilian students and serves as the primary advisor to the Commander on all matters related to student operations and activities. Col. Valentino received his commission through ROTC at the University of Minnesota. He then attended Joint Undergraduate Navigator Training (JUNT) and Electronic Warfare Officer Training (EWOT) at Randolph Air Force Base, Tex. Col. Valentino was then assigned to the 4 SOS as an AC-130U EWO. In August of 2007, Col. Valentino completed initial qualification training as a Combat Systems Officer (CSO) on the U-28A. In January of 2008, Col. Valentino attended the AC-130U Weapons Instructor Course (WIC), at Hurlburt Field, Fla. Upon graduating, he was assigned to the 19 SOS, establishing the U-28A CSO initial qualification course. In May 2012, he was reassigned to the 14th Weapons Squadron (WPS), establishing the U-28A weapons instructor course (WIC). He followed this assignment by attending Air Command and Staff College, graduating in June of 2015. Col. Valentino was assigned to Special Operations Command Europe (SOCEUR), where he served as the Resource and Force Management Division Chief until being assigned to the 492nd Special Operations Support Squadron (SOSS) to serve as the 492 SOG chief of weapons and tactics. In May 2019, Col. Valentino was selected to serve as the operations officer for the 6 SOS, assuming command in Apr 2021. He relinquished command in Jun 2022, moving to Special Operations Command South (SOCSOUTH) in Jul 2022, where he held positions as the J5 and J3 Deputy Director. In Jan 2024, Col. Valentino assumed the position of SOCSOUTH Chief of Staff until Jun 2024 when he became an instructor at Air War College in the Department of Leadership and Warfighting. Col. Valentino throughout his career has had multiple deployments, with the majority being in support of Operation IRAQI FREEDOM and Operation ENDURING FREEDOM. During his assignment at SOCEUR, Col. Valentino attended the Joint and Combined Warfighting School, in pursuit of joint officer qualification. Col. Valentino is a Master Navigator with more than 3,100 flying hours, including over 1,500 combat hours. EDUCATION 2002 Bachelor Arts, Sociology: Law, Criminology, and Deviance, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minn. 2008 United States Air Force Weapon School, Hurlburt Field, Fla. 2009 Squadron Officer School, Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala. 2011 Masters, Aeronautical Science, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Fla. 2015 Masters, Military Operational Art and Science, Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala. 2017 Joint and Combined Warfighting School, Joint Forces Staff College, Naval Station Norfolk, Va. 2024 Air War College, Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala., by correspondence ASSIGNMENTS 1. June 2002 – April 2003, Navigator Student, 562nd Flying Training Squadron, Randolph Air Force Base, Tex. 2. April 2003 – June 2003, EWO Student, 563 FTS, Randolph Air Force Base, Tex. 3. June 2003 – December 2003, EWO Student, AC-130U Initial Qualification Training, 19th Special Operations Squadron, Hurlburt Field, Fla. 4. December 2003 – October 2009, Chief of Range Operations, Executive Officer, Flight Commander, Chief of Tactics and AC-130U Instructor EWO, 4 SOS, Hurlburt Field, Fla. 5. August 2007 – October 2009, U-28 INITIAL CADRE EVAL CSO, 319 SOS, Hurlburt Field, Fla. 6. January 2008 – June 2008, Student, 14th Weapons Squadron, Hurlburt Field, Fla. 7. June 2009 – May 2012, Chief of Tactics, U-28 Evaluator CSO and AC-130U Instructor EWO, 19 SOS, Hurlburt Field, Fla. 8. May 2012 – August 2014, Flight Commander and U-28 WIC Evaluator CSO, 14 WPS, Hurlburt Field, Fla. 9. August 2014 – June 2015, Student, Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell AFB, Ala. 10. June 2015 – June 2018, Resource and Force Management Division Chief, Special Operations Command – Europe, Stuttgart, Germany. 11. June 2018 – May 2019, SOG Chief of Weapons & Tactics and Assistant Director of Operations, 492d Special Operations Support Squadron, Duke Field, Fla. 12. May 2019 – April 2021, Operations Officer, 6 SOS, Duke Field, Fla. 13. April 2021 – June 2022, Commander, 6 SOS, Duke Field, Fla. 14. June 2022 – July 2022, 492 Special Operations Group, Duke Field, Fla. 15. July 2022 – November 2022, Strategy and Plans Division Chief, Special Operations Command – South, Homestead ARB, Fla. 16. November 2022 – June 2023, Strategy, Policy, Plans and Assessments Directorate Deputy Director, Special Operations Command – South, Homestead ARB, Fla. 17. June 2023 – January 2024, Operations Directorate Deputy Director, Special Operations Command – South, Homestead ARB, Fla. 18. January 2024 – June 2024, Chief of Staff, Special Operations Command – South, Homestead ARB, Fla. 19. June 2024 – March 2026, Special Operations Forces Chair and Instructor, Air War College, Maxwell AFB, Ala. 20. March 2026 – Present, Chief of Staff and Special Operations Forces Chair, Air War College, Maxwell AFB, Ala. SUMMARY OF JOINT ASSIGNMENTS 1. Jun 2015 – Jun 2016, Deputy Division Chief, Resource and Force Management, Special Operations Command - Europe, Stuttgart Army Garrison, Germany, as a major. 2. Jun 2016 – Jun 2018, Division Chief, Resource and Force Management, Special Operations Command - Europe, Stuttgart Army Garrison, Germany, as a lieutenant colonel. 3. Jul 2022 – Nov 2022, Division Chief, Strategy and Plans, Special Operations Command - South, Homestead Air Reserve Base, Fla, as a lieutenant colonel. 4. Nov 2022 – Jun 2023, Deputy Director, Strategy, Policy, Plans and Assessments Directorate, Special Operations Command -South, Homestead Air Reserve Base, Fla, as a lieutenant colonel. 5. Jun 2023 – January 2024, Deputy Director, Operations Directorate, Special Operations Command - South, Homestead Air Reserve Base, Fla, as a lieutenant colonel. 6. January 2024 – June 2024, Chief of Staff, Special Operations Command – South, Homestead ARB, Fla, as a colonel. FLIGHT INFORMATION Rating: Master Navigator Flight hours: more than 3,200 (1,500 combat hours) Aircraft flown: C-208, U-28A, and AC-130U MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS Defense Superior Service Medal Defense Meritorious Service Medal Meritorious Service Medal with one oak leaf cluster Air Medal with eight oak leaf cluster Aerial Achievement Medal Air Force Commendation Medal with one oak leaf cluster Air Force Combat Action Medal EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION Second Lieutenant May 29, 2002 First Lieutenant May 29, 2004 Captain May 29, 2006 Major August 1, 2012 Lieutenant Colonel May 1, 2017 Colonel February 1, 2024 (Current as of: 21 May 2026)