July 9, 2024

We are grateful and excited to invite you to our July luncheon at the Oahu Veterans Center(NEW LOCATION), where we are hosting Colonel Eric W. Crowell, Deputy Director of Air and Cyberspace Operations, Headquarters Pacific Air Forces

Colonel Eric W. Crowell is the Deputy Director of Air and Cyberspace Operations and Chief Information Officer, Headquarters Pacific Air Forces (PACAF), Hickam AFB, Hawaii. He is responsible for ensuring PACAF provides ready air, space, and cyberspace power to promote United States’ interests in the Indo-Pacific region during competition, crisis, and conflict. In this capacity, Col Crowell leads the Warfighting Headquarters staff providing cyberspace operations, combat communications, and command and control support to the Commander of PACAF, combatant commanders, and assigned forces. Furthermore, he oversees cyberspace operations and sustainment across 3 Numbered Air Forces and 10 Wings. Additionally, he manages a $2.5B Command, Control, Communications, Computers, and Intelligence (C4I) portfolio and is the functional leader for more than 3,500 cyber personnel.

Prior to assuming his current position, Col Crowell was Director, Installation, Mission Services and Force Protection, 378th Air Expeditionary Wing, Prince Sultan Air Base, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. He oversaw installation, mission support and force protection activities enhancing warfighter readiness and lethality necessary for combat sortie generation and synchronization of mission resources and capabilities for 2,500 personnel supporting Operations INHERENT RESOLVE and SPARTAN SHIELD.

Colonel Crowell was born in Midwest City, Oklahoma and entered the Air Force through Reserve Officer Training Corps at the University of Oklahoma in 1998. He has held operational, command and staff positions at the Squadron, Group, Agency, Center, Expeditionary, Joint Task Force, Air Staff, Joint Staff and Combatant Command levels. Colonel Crowell has completed two long and one short overseas tours, and has six deployments in expeditionary support of operations in Kosovo, Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Sudan, and Horn of Africa. Colonel Crowell is married to Katrina Crowell and they have three children Brandon (30), Hope (24) and Erin (23).

EDUCATION

1998 Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice and Pre-Law, University of Central Oklahoma, Edmond, OK

1999 Basic Communications and Computer Systems Officer Training, Keesler AFB, MS

2004 Squadron Officer School, Maxwell AFB, AL

2006 Masters of Science in Management of Telecommunications, University of Maryland, MD

2011 Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell AFB, AL

2011 Master of Military Arts and Science, Maxwell AFB, AL

2013 Air War College (in correspondence)

2014 Certified Information Security Manager, Raleigh, NC

2022 Joint and Combined Warfighting School (JCWS), National Defense University, Norfolk, VA

2022 Level IV Antiterrorism Executive Seminar, Joint Chiefs of Staff, Washington DC

ASSIGNMENTS:

1. June 1998 – September 1998, Student, Basic Communications Training, Kessler AFB, MS

2. October 1998 – March 1999, Officer-in-Charge PACAF Initial Communications Package, 354th Communications Squadron, Eielson AFB, AK

3. April 1999 – June 1999, Commander, 3rd Expeditionary Communications Squadron, Kwang Ju, Korea

4. July 1999 – Jun 2000, Deputy Mission Systems Flight, 354th Communications Squadron, Eielson AFB, AK

5. July 2000 – September 2001, Officer-in-Charge Network Control Center, 354th Communications Squadron, Eielson AFB, AK

6. October 2001 – July 2002, Chief Systems Operations, Defense Information Agency, D.C

7. August 2002 – June 2004 Chief Help Desk Branch, Defense Information Agency, D.C.

8. July 2004 – July 2008, Commander Mission Systems Flight, 72nd Communications Squadron, Tinker AFB, OK

9. July 2005 – Jan 2006, Plans Officer, Combined A6 Forward, Al Udeid AB, Qatar

10. May 2007 – December 2007, Chief, Networks, Combined-Joint Task Force Arabian Peninsula, Iraq

11. August 2008 – June 2010, Commander, Operation Location-Bolling AFB, 744th Communications Squadron, Bolling AFB, Washington DC

12. July 2010 – May 2011, IDE Student, Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell AFB, AL

13. June 2011 – June 2013, Commander, 4th Communications Squadron, Seymour Johnson AFB, NC

14. July 2013 – July 2016, Chief, Systems and Services Division, Joint Special Operations Command, Ft Bragg, NC

15. July 2014 – November 2014, Director J6 Communications, Joint Task Force, Afghanistan

16. August 2016 – May 2018, Deputy Chief, Cybersecurity Division, then Directorate of Staff, Secretary of the Air Force Chief Information Officer, Pentagon, VA

17. May 2018 – June 2019, Director of Staff, Headquarters Air Staff Communications and Information Directorate, Pentagon, VA

18. October 2018 – April 2019, Executive, CCJ5 Plans Division, U.S. Central Command, MacDill AFB, FL

19. July 2019 - March 2020, Chief, Combat Operations, 624th Operations Center, Lackland AFB, TX

20. April 2020 - May 2022, Deputy Commander, 616th Operations Center, Lackland AFB, TX

21. Jun 2022 - May 2023, Director, Installation, Mission Services and Force Protection, 378th Air Expeditionary Wing, Prince Sultan AB, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

22. Jun 2023 - Present, Deputy Director of Air and Cyberspace Operations & Chief Information Officer, HQ Pacific Air Forces, Hickam AFB, HI

SUMMARY OF JOINT ASSIGNMENTS

1. May 2017 – Dec 2017, Chief, Networks Combined-Joint Task Force Arabian Peninsula, Iraq

2. July 2014 – Aug 2017, Chief, System/Services Division, Joint Special Operations Command

3. July 2014 – Nov 2014, Director J6 Communications, Joint Task Force, Afghanistan

4. Oct 2018 – April 2019, Engagement Officer, Plans Division, U.S. Central Command

MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS:

Legion of Merit

Bronze Star

Defense Meritorious Service Medal with one oak leaf cluster

Meritorious Service Medal with three oak leaf clusters

Joint Service Commendation Medal with one oak leaf cluster

Air Force Commendation Medal

Air Force Achievement Medal with two oak leaf clusters

National Defense Service Medal with one star

Afghanistan Campaign Medal with one star

Iraq Campaign Medal with one star

Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal

Global War on Terrorism Service Medal

Korean Defense Service Medal

Humanitarian Service Medal

Remote Combat Effects Campaign Medal with three oak leaf

clusters Air and Space Campaign Medal

Air Force Expeditionary Service Ribbon with Gold Border

NATO Medal

EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION:

Second Lieutenant 27 May 98

First Lieutenant 27 May 00

Captain 27 May 02

Major 1 Jan 08

Lieutenant Colonel 1 Jun 13

Colonel 1 Aug 19

Host or Publisher AFCEA Hawaii