MAJOR GENERAL THOMAS D. CRIMMINS
Maj Gen Thomas D. Crimmins is the 37th Commandant of the Joint Forces Staff College – NSA Hampton Roads, Norfolk, Virginia. As Commandant of JFSC, he oversees its three schools: Joint Advanced Warfighting School, Joint & Combined Warfighting School, and Joint Information School.
General Crimmins received his commission from the United States Air Force Academy in 1990. He is a veteran of several combat operations including Operations SOUTHERN WATCH and IRAQI FREEDOM in Southwest Asia, and JOINT GUARD, ENDEAVOR, and ALLIED FORCE in the Balkans. He has commanded a flying squadron in combat and in garrison, and as a Vice Wing Commander and Wing Commander. He also served as the U. S. Central Command Deputy Director of Mobility Forces, supporting Operations Resolute Support, Freedom’s Sentinel and Inherent Resolve. His staff assignments include tours at the Pentagon, White House, United States Military Training Mission-Saudi Arabia, and Headquarters Pacific Air Forces. He served as the Assistant Adjutant General, Air National Guard, Joint Force Headquarters, Arkansas. Prior to his current assignment, the general served as the Senior Defense Official and Defense Attaché (Saudi Arabia), Embassy of the United States.
EDUCATION
1990 Bachelor of Science, Political Science, U.S. Air Force Academy, Colorado Springs, Colo.
1997 Squadron Officer School, Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala.
2004 Distinguished Graduate, Master of Arts, Operational Art and Science, Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
2009 National Defense Fellow, Washington Institute for Near East Policy, Washington, D.C.
2012 Leadership Enhancement Program, Center for Creative Leadership, Greensboro, N.C.
2013 Security Cooperation Management Executive Course, Defense Institute for Security Assistance Management, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio
2020 Dual Status Commander Qualification Program, Colorado Springs, Colo.
2020 Joint Task Force Commander Training Course, Colorado Springs, Colo.
2021 Senior Leader Orientation Course, Joint Base Andrews, Md.
2024 Joint and Combined Warfighting School, Joint Forces Staff College, Norfolk, Va.
2024 CAPSTONE General and Flag Officer Course in Joint and Combined Studies, National Defense University, Washington, D.C.
ASSIGNMENTS
1. August 1990 - November 1991, Student, Undergraduate Pilot Training, Reese Air Force Base, Texas.
2. November 1991 - March 1994, Graduate Student, Air Force Institute of Technology, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, Texas
3. March 1994 - December 1994, Flight Commander, 64th Services Squadron, Reese AFB, Texas
4. January 1995 - March 2000, Flight Commander, C-130H1 Aircraft Commander, Instructor Pilot, and Evaluator Pilot, 39th Airlift Squadron, Dyess AFB, Texas
5. April 2000 - July 2003, Chief, Operations Group Standardization and Evaluation, FTU Instructor/Evaluator Pilot, 314th Operations Group, Little Rock AFB, Ark.
6. August 2003 - June 2004, Student, Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
7. June 2004 - April 2006, CENTCOM Branch Chief and Country Director, Iraq and Jordan, Deputy Secretary of the Air Force (International Affairs), Pentagon, Washington, D.C.
8. May 2006 - July 2008, Commander, 41st Airlift Squadron, and Director of Staff, 43d Airlift Wing, Pope AFB, N.C. (February 2007 - June 2007, Commander, 737th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron, Southwest Asia)
9. August 2008 - June 2009, National Defense Fellow, The Washington Institute for Near East Policy, Washington, D.C.
10. June 2009 - June 2011, Policy Analyst, Office of National Drug Control Policy, Executive Office of the President, The White House, Washington, D.C.
11. June 2011 - June 2013, Vice Commander, 19th Airlift Wing, Little Rock AFB, Ark. (May 2012 - September 2012, Deputy Director of Mobility Forces, AFCENT)
12. June 2013 - June 2014, Chief, Joint Advisory Division, U.S. Military Training Mission, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
13. July 2014 - May 2017, Chief, Air Mobility Division, 613th Air Operations Center, Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii
14. May 2017 - June 2019, Wing Commander, 189th Airlift Wing, Little Rock AFB, Ark.
15. June 2019 - June 2021, Assistant Adjutant General, Little Rock AFB, Ark.; dual-hatted, January 2020 - December 2020, Air National Guard Assistant to the Director Air National Guard for Headquarters Air Force, Studies, Analysis and Assessments (HAF/A-9), Va.
16. July 2021 - September 2021, Student, Joint Military Attaché School, Joint Base Anacostia Bolling, Washington, D.C.
17. September 2021 - August 2023, Senior Defense Official and Defense Attaché, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Riyadh, AE
18. August 2023 - Present, Commandant, Joint Forces Staff College, NSA Hampton Roads, Norfolk, Va.
SUMMARY OF JOINT ASSIGNMENTS
1. June 2009 - June 2011, Policy Analyst, Office of National Drug Control Policy, Executive Office of the President, The White House, Washington, D.C., as a lieutenant colonel
2. June 2013 - June 2014, Chief, Joint Advisory Division, U.S. Military Training Mission, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, as a colonel
3. August 2023 - Present, Commandant, Joint Forces Staff College, NSA Hampton Roads, Norfolk, Va., as a major general
FLIGHT INFORMATION
Rating: command pilot
Flight hours: more than 2,900
Aircraft flown: T-37, T-38, T-41, C-21, C-130E/H/J
MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
Defense Superior Service Medal with oak leaf cluster
Legion of Merit with oak leaf cluster
Defense Meritorious Service Medal
Meritorious Service Medal with two oak leaf clusters
Air Medal with oak leaf cluster
Aerial Achievement Medal
Air and Space Commendation Medal
Air and Space Achievement Medal
EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION
Second Lieutenant May 30, 1990
First Lieutenant May 30, 1992
Captain May 30, 1994
Major June 1, 2001
Lieutenant Colonel March 1, 2006
Colonel Aug. 1, 2011
Brigadier General June 8, 2019
Major General Feb. 17, 2022
(Current as of January 2025)
