Brigader General Dann S. Carlson

February 10, 2025

Brig. Gen. Dann S. Carlson was the Commander, 154th Wing, Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii. The 154th Wing is the largest and most diverse wing in the Air National Guard. He was responsible for providing agile wartime ready airmen and mission capabilities to respond to state civil emergencies and worldwide contingencies. Carlson is also responsible for ensuring that group and squadron commanders have the resources and guidance to maintain command and control over their units.

Carlson graduated from the U.S. Air Force Academy as a distinguished graduate in 1989 with a degree in Aeronautical Engineering. He holds a Master of Business Administration from Trident University and a Master of Strategic Studies from Air War College. While on active duty, he served as a combat proven F-16 instructor/evaluator pilot, Harrier exchange pilot, Thunderbird Pilot, Fighter Squadron Commander, Air Base Group Commander, and Deputy Joint Base Commander. He logged combat flight hours in Operations Deliberate Guard and Southern Watch. Prior to this assignment, Carlson was the Director of Operations for the state headquarters A-Staff as a drill status guardsman and the Assistant Superintendent, Hawaii State Department of Education, Office of School Facilities and Support Services as a civilian.

EDUCATION

1989 Bachelor of Science, Aeronautical Engineering (distinguished graduate), U.S. Air Force Academy, Colorado Springs, Colo.
1990 Undergraduate Pilot Training, Euro-NATO Joint Jet Pilot Training, Sheppard Air Force Base, Texas
1991 F-16 Qualification Training, MacDill AFB, Fla.
1995 Squadron Officer School, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
1996 Royal Air Force Harrier Qualification Training, RAF Wittering, Stamford, England
1999 Pilot Instructor Training, Sheppard AFB, Texas
2002 Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell AFB, Ala., by correspondence
2003 Master of Business Administration, Trident University, Calif.
2004 Upgrade Instructor Pilot Training, Introduction to Fighter Fundamentals, Moody AFB, Ga.
2009 Air War College, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
2020 F-22 Transition Course, Tyndall AFB, Fla.
2021 Joint Task for Commander Training Course, Fort Carson, Colo.
2022 Dual Status Commander Orientation Course, Peterson Space Force Base, Colo.

ASSIGNMENTS

July 1989 – March 1991, Student, Undergraduate Pilot Training, Sheppard Air Force Base, Texas
March 1991 – September 1991, Student, F-16 Qualification Training, MacDill AFB, Fla.
September 1991 – October 1992, F-16 Fighter Pilot, Homestead AFB, Fla.
October 1992 – January 1996, F-16 Instructor Pilot, Moody AFB, Ga.
January 1996 – November 1998, Royal Air Force Exchange Officer, Assistant Director of Operations, Harrier Instructor Pilot, RAF Wittering, England
November 1998 – November 2001, Flight Commander, Instructor Pilot, Sheppard AFB, Texas
November 2001 – February 2004, Thunderbird #8, F-16 Instructor Pilot, Nellis AFB, Nev.
February 2004 – June 2006, Operations Officer, Instructor/Evaluator Pilot, 435th Fighter Training Squadron, Moody AFB, Ga.
June 2006 – July 2008, Commander, 435th Fighter Training Squadron, Randolph AFB, Texas
July 2008 – June 2009, Student, Air War College, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
June 2009 – April 2011, Branch Chief / Deputy Plans Division Chief, EUCOM, Stuttgart, Germany
April 2011 – July 2013, Commander, 647th Air Base Group / Deputy Joint Base Commander, Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii
July 2013 – January 2014, Special Assistant to the Director, Secretary Of the Air Force International Affairs, Pentagon, Va.
January 2014 – December 2014, Air Attaché’ Designate (training), Defense Intelligence Agency, Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling, Washington D.C.
December 2014 – May 2018, Retired Status, Hawaii
May 2018 – July 2019, Director of Plans and Programs, Headquarters Hawaii Air National Guard, Fort Ruger, Hawaii

SUMMARY OF JOINT ASSIGNMENTS

June 2009 – April 2011, Branch Chief / Deputy Plans Division Chief, EUCOM, Stuttgart, Germany as a lieutenant colonel

FLIGHT INFORMATION

Rating: Command Pilot
Flight hours: More than 3,800 including 285.6 combat hours
Aircraft flown: T-38A, AT-38, F-16C/D, GR-7 Harrier (RAF), Hawk (RAF), Gazelle (RAF), and F-22

MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS

Legion of Merit
Defense Meritorious Service Medal
Air Force Meritorious Service Medal with four oak leaf clusters
Air Medal with two oak leaf clusters
Aerial Achievement Medal with one oak leaf cluster
Joint Service Commendation medal
Air Force Commendation Medal
Navy Commendation Medal

EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION

Second Lieutenant May 31, 1989
First Lieutenant May 31, 1991
Captain May 31, 1993
Major , Aug. 1, 2000
Lieutenant Colonel , Sept. 1, 2005
Colonel (adjusted) May 5, 2014
Brigadier General Feb. 27, 2020

Last updated September 2024

Change of Command 2019
Change of Command 2022

Hawaii Air National Guard’s 154th Wing Change of Command

154th Wing Public Affairs | Story by Senior Airman Robert Cabuco | Sunday, August 4, 2019

Brig. Gen. Gregory Woodrow outgoing 154th Wing Commander and family with Col. Dann S. Carlson in-coming 154th Wing Commander and family pose for an aloha shaka after the change of command ceremony, August 04, 2019 (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Capt. Justin Leong)

(Picture from the 2019 Summer Pupukahi)

JOINT BASE PEARL HARBOR-HICKAM, Hawaii — Col. Dann S. Carlson assumed command of the Hawaii Air National Guard 154th Wing from Brig. Gen. Gregory S. Woodrow during a change of command ceremony held Aug. 4, 2019, at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam.

A “standing-room-only” crowd of family, friends, and fellow 154th Wing Airmen packed into a C-17 Globemaster III hangar on the JBPHH flightline to say mahalo and aloha to its past and present leaders.

Woodrow, who had been at the helm since 2016, retires after 33 years of military service, after guiding the Air National Guard’s largest wing. Future endeavors include increasing his surfing time and pursuing a second career in commercial aviation.

During the ceremony, Woodrow said “mahalo” to the personnel who contributed to the wing’s success, spoke fondly of his Guard ʻohana (family), and left some words of wisdom for Carlson as the incoming commander.

“These folks here…give them a vector, a little vision,” said Woodrow. “Because these guys are professionals and they know how to succeed.”

Carlson, an Air Force Academy graduate, served 25 years as an active-duty Airman in various capacities. Prior to coming to the 154th Wing, he was an F-16 instructor/evaluator pilot, Harrier exchange pilot, Thunderbird pilot, fighter squadron commander, and deputy joint base commander.

Retiring from active duty in 2018, his service to the community continued as the assistant superintendent for the State of Hawaii Department of Education, Office of School Facilities and Support Services. After a brief military retirement, he joined the HIANG as the director of plans and programs.

Carlson was handed the 154th Wing guidon, or colors, representing the ceremonial passing of authority from one commander to the next.

“As men and women of the 154th Wing,” said Carlson, “we are in a great trajectory and I want to see us keep it that way. The priorities that General Woodrow set out will continue for now. I will be getting out to all the different units in the next 90 days. I look forward to meeting with you and learning how we can improve this highly effective team.”

The 154th Wing is comprised of nearly 1,900 officers and enlisted Airmen, making it the largest and one of the most complex wings in the Air National Guard. The wing executes several mission sets, which include federal response to national threats as well as state response to domestic civil emergencies.
– 2019 Summer Pupukahi pp. 1 & 3

Symbolic F-22 Flight Marks 154th Wing Change of Command

154th Wing Public Affairs – Hawai‘i Air National Guard | Courtesy Story | Sunday, September 11, 2022

The inbound and outbound commanders of the 154th Wing fly F-22 Raptors in formation with a KC-135 Stratotanker Sept. 7, 2022, near Oahu, Hawaii. The routine training flight served as an in-flight change of command ceremony as Brig. Gen. Dann S. Carlson relinquished command of the Air National Guard’s largest Wing to Col. Phillip L. Mallory. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Tech. Sgt. Nicholas Brown)

The inbound and outbound commanders of the 154th Wing fly F-22 Raptors in formation with a KC-135 Stratotanker Sept. 7, 2022, near Oahu, Hawaii. The routine training flight served as an in-flight change of command ceremony as Brig. Gen. Dann S. Carlson relinquished command of the Air National Guard’s largest Wing to Col. Phillip L. Mallory. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Tech. Sgt. Nicholas Brown)

(Pictures from the 2022 Fall Pūpūkahi)

Col. Phillip “Budda” Mallory assumed command of the Hawai‘i Air National Guard’s 154th Wing from Brig. Gen. Dann S. Carlson Sept. 11, after completing an in-flight change of command ceremony.

The inbound and outbound leaders took to the skies as part of a routine F-22 Raptor training sortie, which served as a backdrop for a symbolic change of command ceremony and also Carlson’s final flight before his military retirement.

Hawai‘i Air National Guard commander, Brig. Gen. Joseph R. Harris II, presided over the aerial event while flying aboard a KC-135 Stratotanker. All three aircraft rendezvoused into a formation near the island of Oahu, with Harris directing the transfer of authority via radio communication.

“It’s been the honor of a lifetime to serve the Airmen of the 154th Wing,” said Carlson upon relinquishing command. “You’re in great hands. Buddha, you have the reins.”

Moments later, Carlson rolled his Raptor to the left and vanished into the horizon, leaving his successor alone to lead on the Air National Guard’s largest and most complex wing.

Family and friends assembled on the Hickam Airfield Raptor Ramp to greet both fighter pilots as they returned to base, celebrating Carlson’s more than three decades of service and congratulating Mallory on his new role as wing commander.

Throughout Carlson’s three-year tenure as wing commander, beginning in August 2019, he has placed ‘ohana as the number one priority of the organization, emphasizing a need to take care of every member and their families as they set out to accomplish the 154th Wing’s mission. The 154th Wing saw some of the Air National Guard’s highest-level awards under his leadership, including the Outstanding Unit Award and the Gen. Spaatz Trophy this past year.

Mallory, a U.S. Air Force Academy graduate, provided a wealth of experience over the past 24 years of service and has most recently served the Hawai‘i ANG as the 154th Wing vice commander, the 154th Operations Group commander, and the 298th Air Defense Group commander. He has accumulated more than 2,400 flying hours in the F-22, F-15 Eagle and AT-38B aircraft and has been recognized by his peers as a leader who deeply values Airmen at every level of the organization.

Following an emotional reception on the JBPH-H Raptor Ramp, Mallory was handed the 154th Wing guidon, or colors, representing the ceremonial passing of authority from one commander to the next.

“I just want to thank [Brigadier] General Carlson for being an awesome wing commander,” said Mallory. “I really enjoyed being his vice as well as his OG and also working with him while I was outside the Wing. I couldn’t be more proud to be on this team; I am truly fired up to be wing commander and looking forward to serving Airmen in every capacity possible as we go forward.”

The 154th Wing is comprised of nearly 1,900 Airmen who upkeep and deploy multiple high-profile mission sets. This includes protecting the U.S. homeland as part of a 24/7 alert mission, enabling global reach to U.S. and allied aircraft through a robust tanker fleet and providing contingency rescue response capabilities for NASA’s human space flight program.

154th Wing Airmen are charged with maintaining wartime-ready assets and can deploy disaster-relief capabilities during peacetime operations within the State of Hawai‘i, the U.S. mainland and across the international community.
– 2022 Fall Pūpūkahi pp. 6