Colonel Shawn V. Young is the Commander of the 353d Special Operations Wing, Kadena Air Base, Okinawa, Japan. The wing provides U.S. Indo-Pacific Command with combat-ready Air Force Special Operations forces, operating from Kadena and Yokota Air Bases. The wing employs Special Tactics Teams and flies MC-130J Commando II, and CV-22B Osprey aircraft.
Col Young received her Bachelor and Master of Science degrees in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Texas in 1995 and 1998, respectively; she then entered Air Force Officer Training School, earning a commission in 1999. Colonel Young attended pilot training at Naval Air Stations Whiting Field, Florida, and Corpus Christi, Texas, and served in various operational and instructor flying assignments in multiple aircraft and Major Commands. Following a tour as Commander of the 27th Special Operations Air Operations Squadron, Cannon Air Force Base, New Mexico, she was as the Commander, 1st Special Operations Group, Hurlburt Field, Florida. Her most recent assignment was as the Deputy Director, NATO Centre of Excellence Defense Against Terrorism (COE-DAT), Ankara, Türkiye. Colonel Young has served in multiple combat deployments as a pilot and mission commander in support of Operations ENDURING and IRAQI FREEDOM, Operation INHERENT RESOLVE, the Horn of Africa, and other small-scale contingency operations. She most recently deployed as the Director of Operations, Joint Special Operations Air Component - Central.
EDUCATION
1995 Bachelor of Science in Aerospace Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin
1998 Master of Science in Aerospace Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin
2005 Squadron Officer School, Maxwell Air Force Base, AL
2008 Marine Corps Command and Staff College, by correspondence
2012 Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell Air Force Base, AL
2012 Master of Military Art and Science, Air Command and Staff College
2021 Air War College, Maxwell Air Force Base, AL
2021 Master of Strategic Studies Degree with Grand Strategy Concentration, Air War College
ASSIGNMENTS
1. April 1999 – June 2000, Student, Joint Specialized Undergraduate Pilot Training, NAS Whiting Field, FL
2. June 2000 – September 2001, Student, Joint Specialized Undergraduate Pilot Training, NAS Corpus Christi, TX
3. September 2001 – December 2004, C-130H Pilot and Aircraft Commander, Dyess AFB, TX
4. December 2004 – June 2006, T-6A Instructor and Assistant Operations Officer, Training Squadron Ten, NAS Pensacola, FL
5. June 2006 – October 2008, T-6A Instructor and Evaluator Pilot, Standards and Evaluations Flight Examiner, and Instrument Navigation Stage Manager for the Chief of Naval Air Training, Training Wing Six, NAS Pensacola, FL
6. October 2008 – July 2010, AC-130U Pilot and Aircraft Commander, Chief Executive Officer, and Chief of Resources, 4th Special Operations Squadron, Hurlburt Field, FL
7. July 2010 – August 2011, AC-130U Aircraft Commander and Wing Executive Officer, 1st Special Operations Wing, Hurlburt Field, FL (February 2011 – June 2011, Commander, 4th Expeditionary Special Operations Squadron, Balad AB, Iraq)
8. August 2011 – June 2012, Student, Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell AFB, AL
9. June 2012 – July 2014, Chief, Washington D.C. Rated and Joint Colonels Assignments, Headquarters Air Force, Washington, D.C.
10. July 2014 – July 2015, Operations Officer, 27th Special Operations Air Operations Squadron, Cannon AFB, NM
11. July 2015 – July 2017, Commander, 27th Special Operations Air Operations Squadron, Cannon AFB, NM (November 2016 – April 2017, Director of Operations, Joint Special Operations Air Component – Central, Al Udeid AB, Qatar)
12. July 2017 – July 2018, Inspector General, 27th Special Operations Wing, Cannon AFB, NM
13. July 2018 – May 2019, Director of Staff, Department of Airpower, Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell AFB, AL
14. May 2019 – July 2020, Associate Dean of Educational Support, Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell AFB, AL
15. July 2020 – May 2021, Student, Air War College, Maxwell AFB, AL
16. May 2021 – June 2022, Commander, 1st Special Operations Group, Hurlburt Field, FL
17. June 2022 – April 2023, Deputy Director, NATO Centre of Excellence Defense Against Terrorism, Ankara, Türkiye
18. May 2023 – Present, Commander, 353rd Special Operations Wing, Kadena AB, Japan
FLIGHT INFORMATION
Rating: Command Pilot
Flight Hours: More than 2,600 hours
Aircraft Flown: T-35C, TC-12B, C-130E, C-130H, T-6A, AC-130U, MQ-9A
MAJOR AWARDS AND DECEMBERORATIONS
Legion of Merit
Air Force Meritorious Service Medal with five oak leaf clusters
Air Medal with six oak leaf clusters
Joint Service Commendation Medal
Navy Commendation Medal
EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION
Second Lieutenant 9 April 1999
First Lieutenant 9 April 2001
Captain 9 April 2003
Major 1 October 2008
Lieutenant Colonel 1 April 2014
Colonel 1 May 2020
(Current as of May 2023)