Lt Col Douglas A. Kabel is the Commander, 455th Flying Training Squadron, 479th Flying Training Group, 12th Flying Training Wing, Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida. The 455 FTS operates 24 T-6A Texan II aircraft to conduct primary training for all Combat Systems Officer students in the U.S. Air Force. Lt Col Kabel is responsible for overseeing the safety, supervision, training, curriculum development and standardization of 455 FTS instructor pilots and students. He also performs flight duties as a T-6A instructor and evaluator to train both students and the 455 FTS instructor pilots.
Lt Col Kabel earned his commission through the Reserve Officer Training Corps at the University of Central Florida in 2000 and his pilot wings at Columbus AFB, MS, in 2002. Prior to assuming his current position, he served as the Director of Operations, 559th Flying Training Squadron, Joint Base San Antonio Randolph, Texas.
Lt Col Kabel has served as an instructor pilot and flight evaluator in the T-6A, instructor pilot and flight evaluator in the T-38C, flight lead in the F-15E and instructor pilot in the T-37B. He has deployed in support of Operations ENDURING FREEDOM and NEW DAWN where he amassed over 400 combat hours. Lt Col Kabel is a senior pilot with more than 3,000 flying hours in the T-37B, T-38A, AT-38B, T-38C, F-15E, and T-6A.
EDUCATION
2000 Bachelor of Science degree in Political Science, University of Central Florida, Florida
2001 Aerospace Basic Course, Air University, Maxwell AFB, Alabama
2007 Squadron Officer School, Air University, Maxwell AFB, Alabama
2010 Master of Science, Political Science, American Military University, Manassas, Virginia
2010 Air Command and Staff College, Air University, Maxwell AFB, Alabama
ASSIGNMENTS
1. August 2000 – March 2001, Assistant to the Executive Officer, 6th Operations Group, MacDill AFB, Florida.
2. March 2001 – April 2002, Student Pilot, 14th Operations Group, Columbus AFB, Mississippi.
3. April 2002 – September 2005, T-37B Instructor Pilot, Scheduler, Programmer, and Chief of Instructor Development, 41st Flying Training Squadron, Columbus AFB, Mississippi.
4. September 2005 – November 2005, Introduction to Fighter Fundamentals Student Pilot, 88th Flying Training Squadron, Sheppard AFB, Texas.
5. November 2005 – August 2006, F-15E Student Pilot, 333rd Fighter Squadron, Seymour-Johnson AFB, North Carolina.
6. August 2006 – July 2009, F-15E Flight Lead, Ops Group Executive Officer and Flight Commander, 492d Fighter Squadron, RAF Lakenheath, United Kingdom.
7. July 2009 – July 2011, Chief Air Interdiction Plans and Senior Offensive Duty Officer, 607th Air Operations Center, Osan AB, Republic of Korea.
8. July 2011 – June 2014, T-38C Instructor Pilot, Evaluator Pilot, Wing Director of Staff, and Chief of Standardization and Evaluation, 87th Flying Training Squadron, Laughlin AFB, Texas.
9. June 2014 – July 2015, T-38C Instructor Pilot and Aide-de-Camp to the Commander, Air Education and Training Command, Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph, Texas.
10. July 2015 – September 2016, Director of Operations, 559th Flying Training Squadron, Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph, Texas.
11. September 2016 – Present, Commander, 455th Flying Training Squadron, NAS Pensacola, Florida.
FLIGHT INFORMATION
Rating: Senior Pilot
Flight hours: more than 3,000
Aircraft flown: T-37B, T-38A, AT-38B, T-38C, F-15E, and T-6A.
MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
Meritorious Service Medal with three oak leaf clusters
Air Medal with four oak leaf clusters
Air Force Combat Action Medal
Air Force Commendation Medal with two oak leaf clusters
Air Force Achievement Medal
EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION
Second Lieutenant 6 August 2000
First Lieutenant 6 August 2002
Captain 6 August 2004
Major 1 July 2010
Lieutenant Colonel 1 November 2015
(Current as of Oct 2016)