Brig. Gen. Corey A. Simmons is the Director of Operations, U.S. Transportation Command, Scott Air Force Base, Illinois. He is responsible for directing globally integrated, joint, and all-domain operations in wartime and peacetime for the Department of War. His responsibilities include command and control, force projection, maneuver, sustainment, the distribution of supplies and equipment, humanitarian relief and the provision of policy guidance. Additionally, Brig. Gen. Simmons is responsible for force protection for USTRANSCOM and its components and has operational control of the Defense Courier Service and the Joint Operational Support Airlift Center.
Brig. Gen. Simmons received his commission through the ROTC program at the University of Louisville, Kentucky, in 1998. He has extensive combat and operational experience in multiple aircraft. He earned a master’s degree in 2005 from George Washington University. He is a graduate of Air Command and Staff College, the Secretary of Defense Executive Leadership Development Program, and a Harvard University National Defense Fellow.
Prior to this assignment, Brig. Gen. Simmons served as the Director of Strategy, Plans, Requirements, and Programs at Air Mobility Command, Scott Air Force Base, Illinois.
EDUCATION
1998 Bachelor of Arts, Mathematics, Bellarmine University, Louisville, Ky.
2003 Squadron Officer School, Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala.
2005 Master of Arts, Organizational Management, The George Washington University, Washington, D.C.
2008 Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell AFB, Ala., by correspondence
2009 Secretary of Defense Executive Leadership Development Program, Washington, D.C.
2012 Air War College, Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala., by correspondence
2017 National Defense Fellow, Harvard University, Cambridge, Mass.
CAREER CHRONOLOGY
1. July 1998–June 1999, Assistant Regional Director of Admissions, AFROTC Northeast Region Detachment 750, Saint Joseph’s University, Philadelphia, Pa.
2. June 1999–July 2000, Specialized Undergraduate Pilot Training, 37th and 48th Training Squadrons, Columbus Air Force Base, Miss.
3. August 2000–December 2000, Pilot Instructor School, 99th Flying Training Squadron, Randolph AFB, Texas
4. January 2001–June 2003, T-1A Instructor Pilot, Executive Officer & Standardization and Evaluation Pilot, 48th Flying Training Squadron, Columbus, Miss.
5. July 2003–May 2005, Student, Air Force Intern Program, Pentagon, Washington, D.C.
6. October 2005–June 2009, Director of Current Operations; C-17A Evaluator Aircraft Commander, 10th Airlift Squadron and 62nd Airlift Wing, McChord AFB, Wash.
7. July 2009–April 2010, Chief, Deployment Distribution Command and Control Branch, Operations Directorate (J3), U.S. Transportation Command, Scott AFB, Ill.
8. April 2010–June 2011, Aide de Camp to the Deputy Commander, U.S. Transportation Command, Scott AFB, Ill.
9. July 2011–January 2012, Operations Officer, 10th Airlift Squadron, Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash.
10. January 2012–July 2013, Commander, 62nd Operations Support Squadron, Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash., (Commander, 817th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron, Manas AB, Kyrgyzstan)
11. July 2013–April 2014, Chief, Strategic Airlift Programs, Headquarters Air Force, Directorate of Programs (A8), Rapid Global Mobility Panel, the Pentagon, Arlington, Va.
12. April 2014–May 2015, Chief, Air Force Program Objective Memorandum Development, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Programs (A8), the Pentagon, Arlington, Va.
13. May 2015–December 2015, Senior Military Assistant to the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Financial Management and Comptroller, the Pentagon, Arlington, Va.
14. December 2015–June 2016, Senior Military Assistant to the Under Secretary of the Air Force, the Pentagon, Arlington, Va.
15. July 2016–June 2017, National Defense Fellow, The Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, Harvard Kennedy School, Cambridge, Mass.
16. June 2017–July 2018, Vice Commander, 436th Airlift Wing, Dover AFB, Del.
17. July 2018–July 2020, Commander, 71st Flying Training Wing, Vance AFB, Okla.
18. July 2020–July 2022, Commander, 60th Air Mobility Wing, Travis AFB, Calif.
19. August 2022–May 2023, Chief of Staff, Air Mobility Command, Scott AFB, Ill.
20. May 2023–May 2024, Commander, 618th Air Operations Center, Scott AFB, Ill.
21. June 2024–November 2025, Director, Strategy, Plans, Requirements, and Programs, Air Mobility Command, Scott AFB, Ill.
22. November 2025–present, Director of Operations, U.S. Transportation Command, Scott AFB, Ill.
FLIGHT INFORMATION
Rating: command pilot
Flight hours: more than 3,300 hours
Aircraft flown: T-37, T-38, T1-A, C-17A, KC-10A and C-5M
MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
Legion of Merit with two oak leaf clusters
Defense Meritorious Service Medal
Meritorious Service Medal with three oak leaf clusters
Air Medal with two oak leaf clusters
Joint Service Commendation Medal
Air Force Commendation Medal with three oak leaf clusters
OTHER ACHIEVEMENTS
2021 AMC General Jerome O’Malley Award
(Current as of December 2025)