COLONEL DAVID MONTGOMERY KENNARD
Colonel David M. Kennard is the Vice Commander, 186th Air Refueling Wing, Key Field Air National Guard Base, Meridian, Mississippi. The 186th Air Refueling Wing is assigned 800 personnel and 8 KC-135R aircraft to support worldwide operations under Air Mobility Command. As part of the Wing, the 186th Air Refueling Wing is the host unit for 300 Air Combat Command personnel assigned to the 238th Air Support Operations Squadron, 248th Air Traffic Control Squadron and the 186th Air Operations Group.
Colonel Kennard entered the Mississippi Air National Guard in March 1979. Upon completion of basic training and technical training he served as an Electronic Warfare Systems Specialist at the 186th Tactical Reconnaissance Group, Meridian, Mississippi. In December 1986 Colonel Kennard was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant and served with the 186th Civil Engineer Squadron until January 2011. In August 1997 he was selected as the Deputy Base Civil Engineer and in June 2005 he was selected to be the Base Civil Engineer and Commander. Colonel Kennard served as vice commander of the 319th Expeditionary Civil Engineer Squadron, Shaikh Isa AFB, Bahrain from March 2002 until June 2002 in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. In January 2010, he deployed to Guantanamo Bay Cuba as part of Joint Task Force Guantanamo where he served as Commander of the 474th Expeditionary Civil Engineer Squadron from January 2010 through July 2010. In January 2011 he was selected as the Commander of the 286th Air Support Squadron. In June 2012 he was selected as the Vice Commander of the 186th Mission Support Group and in February 2014 he was selected as Commander of the 186th Mission Support Group. Colonel Kennard's most recent assignment came in November 2015 when he was selected as the 186th Air Refueling Wing Vice Commander.
EDUCATION:
1986 Bachelor of Science Degree in Engineering, Mississippi State University; Mississippi State, Mississippi
2005 USAF On Scene Commander Course
2007 USAF Fire Marshal Course
2011 USAF Commander's Senior Staff Course
2012 National Incident Management (NIMS) 300/400 Certified
2012 Air War College, by correspondence
ASSIGNMENTS:
1. Jun 1979 - July 1979: Student, Basic Training; Lackland Air Force Base, Texas
2. July 1979 - May 1980: Student, Electronic Warfare Systems; Keesler Air Force Base, Mississippi
3. May 1980 - November 1986: Traditional Guardsman, Electronic Warfare Systems Specialist, 186th Tactical Reconnaissance Group, Meridian, Mississippi
4. November 1986 - December 1986: Traditional Guardsman, Academy of Military Science, Knoxville, Tennessee
5. December 1986 - June 1991: Traditional Guardsman, Civil Engineering Resource Requirements Officer; 186th Air Refueling Wing, Meridian, Mississippi
6. June 1991 - August 1995: Traditional Guardsman, Civil Engineering Operations Officer, 186th Air Refueling Wing, Meridian, Mississippi
7. August 1995 - June 2005: Air Technician, Deputy Base Civil Engineer; 186th Air Refueling Wing, Meridian, Mississippi
8. June 2005 - January 2011: Air Technician, Base Civil Engineer / Civil Engineer Squadron Commander; 186th Air Refueling Wing, Meridian, Mississippi
9. January 2011 - June 2012: Air Technician, 286th Air Support Squadron Commander, 286th Air Operations Group, Meridian, Mississippi
10. June 2012 - February 2014: Air Technician, Mission Support Group Vice Commander, 186th Air Refueling Wing, Meridian, Mississippi
11. February 2014 - November 2015: Air Technician, Mission Support Group Commander, 186th Air Refueling Wing, Meridian, Mississippi
12. November 2015 - Present: Air Technician, Wing Vice Commander, 186th Air Refueling Wing, Meridian, Mississippi
MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS:
Defense Meritorious Service Medal
Meritorious Service Medal (with 3 Oak Leaf Cluster)
Air Force Commendation Medal
Air Force Achievement Medal
Air Force Outstanding Unit Award (with 2 Oak Leaf Clusters)
Air Reserve Forces Meritorious Service Medal (with 3 Oak Leaf Clusters)
National Defense Service Medal (with 1 Service Star)
Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal
Global War on Terrorism Service Medal
Humanitarian Service Medal
Nuclear Deterrence Operations Service Medal
Air Force Overseas Ribbon-Short
Air Force Expeditionary Service Ribbon (with Gold Border)
Air Force Longevity Service Award (with 1 Silver Oak Leaf Cluster)
Armed Forces Reserve Medal (with Silver Hourglass and 1 "M" Device)
Small Arms Expert Marksmanship Ribbon (Rifle)
Air Force Training Ribbon (with 1 Oak Leaf Cluster)
PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIPS & AFFILIATIONS:
National Guard Association of the United States
National Guard Association of Mississippi
Life Member of the Air National Guard Civil Engineer Association
EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION:
Second Lieutenant 18 December 1986
First Lieutenant 18 December 1989
Captain 25 January 1992
Major 25 January 1996
Lieutenant Colonel 25 January 2003
Colonel 5 March 2014