Maj. Gen. Sean T. Collins is the Air National Guard Assistant to the Surgeon General. In this capacity, he is the champion for the Surgeon General, focusing on medical readiness and serving as the Senior Medical Advisor to ANG leadership, he ensures the mission readiness of 108,100 military and civilian ANG personnel spanning 90 wings and 180 installations. Additionally, Maj. Gen. Collins serves as the Director of the Space Force Medical Operations Directorate, on behalf of the Surgeon General. He champions the healthcare and medical readiness support requirements for the nation’s Space Force Guardians. In collaboration with the Chief of Space Operations and senior level leadership, Maj. Gen. Collins coordinates the development and establishment of policies and practices that best support Guardians.
Maj. Gen. Collins started his career at the 104th Fighter Wing, Barnes Air National Guard Base, where he was commissioned in the Nurse Corps. He is a licensed, board-certified Nurse Practitioner and Assistant Professor at the University of Massachusetts Medical School, with a joint appointment in Medicine and the Graduate School of Nursing. He holds clinical appointment at the UMass Memorial Diabetes Center of Excellence. Prior to his current assignment, Maj. Gen. Collins served as the Commander, Air Force Medical Command and the Commander, Air Force Medical Readiness Agency at Headquarters Air Force.
Previous positions also included the ANG Assistant to the Deputy Surgeon General, Headquarters Air Force, and the Assistant for Mobilization and Reserve Affairs, Office of the Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs, where he worked in concert with the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Readiness Policy and Oversight and with the Director, Defense Health Agency.
EDUCATION
1986 Diploma in Nursing (Registered Nurse), Baystate Medical Center, Springfield, Mass.
1989 Associate of Arts, General Studies, Springfield Technical Community College, Springfield, Mass.
1990 Bachelor of Science, Nursing, University of Massachusetts, Amherst
1994 Master of Science, Nursing, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester
1996 Post Master’s Certificate, Nurse Practitioner, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester
2008 Air War College, Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala., by correspondence
2009 Doctor of Philosophy, Clinical Research, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester
2014 Harvard University, Kennedy School of Government, Leadership in Homeland Security, Cambridge, Mass.
2015 National Defense University, Reserve Component National Security Course, Washington, D.C.
2018 Harvard University, Kennedy School of Government, National and International Security Program, Cambridge, Mass.
2019 Harvard University, Kennedy School of Government, General and Flag Officer Homeland Security Executive Seminar, Cambridge, Mass.
2020 National and International Security Leadership Seminar, Capitol Hill Club, Washington, D.C.
2020 Regional Seminar - Africa, Capitol Hill Club, Washington, D.C.
2022 National Strategic Studies Management Course, Syracuse University, N.Y.
ASSIGNMENTS
1. April 1995–February 2000, Clinical Nurse, 104th Fighter Wing, Barnes Air National Guard Base, Westfield, Mass.
2. February 2000–September 2003, Nurse Practitioner, 104th FW, Barnes ANGB, Westfield, Mass.
3. September 2003–April 2005, Nursing Administrator, 104th FW, Barnes ANGB, Westfield, Mass.
4. May 2005–May 2016, Commander, Medical Group, 104 FW, Barnes ANGB, Westfield, Mass.
5. May 2016–May 2019, Assistant for Mobilization and Reserve Affairs, Office of the Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs, Defense Health Agency, Joint Duty Assignment, Falls Church, Va.
6. May 2019–April 2021, Air National Guard Assistant to the Air Force Deputy Surgeon General, Headquarters Air Force, the Pentagon, Arlington, Va.
7. April 2021–July 2021, Commander, Air Force Medical Readiness Agency, Headquarters Air Force, the Pentagon, Arlington, Va.
8. July 2021–June 2023, Assistant to the Surgeon General, U.S. Air Force and Space Force; Dual Hat – Air National Guard Assistant to the Chief Nurse Corps, Office of the Surgeon General, the Pentagon, Arlington, Va.
9. June 2023–October 2024, ANG Assistant to the Surgeon General, Office of the Surgeon General, Director of Space Force Medical Operations, the Pentagon, Arlington, Va.
10. September 2024–July 2025, Commander, Air Force Medical Command, the Pentagon, Arlington, Va.
11. August 2025–present, ANG Assistant to the Surgeon General, Office of the Surgeon General, Director of Space Force Medical Operations, the Pentagon, Arlington, Va.
SUMMARY OF JOINT ASSIGNMENTS
1. January 2008–August 2008, Chief Combat Medical Advisor, Coalition Air Force Transition Team, Baghdad, Iraq, as a lieutenant colonel
2. January 2011–July 2011, Joint Combat Casualty Research Team, Senior Researcher, Helmand Province, Afghanistan, as a colonel
3. May 2016–May 2019, Assistant for Mobilization and Reserve Affairs, Office of the Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs, Defense Health Agency, Falls Church, Va., as a brigadier general
MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
Distinguished Service Medal with oak leaf cluster
Defense Superior Service Medal
Legion of Merit
Defense Meritorious Service Medal
Meritorious Service Medal
Air Medal
Joint Service Commendation Medal
Air Force Commendation Medal with oak leaf cluster
Army Achievement Medal
(Current as of September 2025)