JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-LACKLAND, Texas – Col. Chad BonDurant took command of Air Force Installation and Mission Support Center Detachment 10 at Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana, during an assumption of command ceremony Aug. 14.
One of 10 detachments serving as the liaison and on-site support between Air Force major commands, Space Force and the AFIMSC enterprise, Detachment 10 supports Air Force Global Strike Command.
We asked the colonel a few questions about his life, his career and his thoughts about taking command of the team responsible for synchronizing installation and mission support to enable AFGSC missions.
Time in service?
I entered the Air Force in May 1995 as a graduate of the Air Force Academy with a degree in civil engineering. I reported to my first assignment at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida, for a quick lesson in disaster recovery as the Emerald Coast was hit with back to back hurricanes in August (Erin) and October (Opal). It was an eye-opening welcome to Air Force Civil Engineering!
Hometown?
I grew up in Beaumont, Texas. It’s nice to be closer to home; Barksdale is a little closer to Beaumont than Fairbanks, Alaska!
Can you please tell us a little about your career leading up to this point?
I’ve had a pretty typical career for a civil engineer - three base-level assignments, Air Force Institute of Technology, staff at Air Force Materiel Command and Air Force Headquarters, combatant command staff with U.S. Africa Command, and then squadron command at Luke AFB, Arizona, and Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar.
I spent three years with the Air Force Civil Engineer Center, in the planning and integration directorate and the directorate of staff, then mission support group command at Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska.
It’s nice to be back in the South to thaw out a bit.
What about your new role has you the most excited?
After serving as a squadron commander, I wanted to be a group commander so I could give my squadron commanders freedom of maneuver to lead their units. I see the detachment in a similar role and hope we can provide installation commanders the resources and flexibility they need to accomplish their missions.
What do you want the AFIMSC team to know about you?
I’m thankful to be part of this team, and I’m proud of the capabilities our enterprise provides to the installation and the mission.
What do you like most about serving in the Air Force?
I am humbled and inspired by the professionals I work with every day. I feel very blessed to have been on this path for 25 years.
To learn more about BonDurant’s career, read his official bio at https://www.afimsc.af.mil/About-Us/Biographies/Display/Article/2319031/colonel-chad-b-bondurant/.