Col. Dan Arneson is the Deputy Commander, 934th Airlift Wing, Minneapolis-St. Paul Air Reserve Station, Minnesota. The Wing is comprised of nearly 1,600 Airmen across three groups and 12 squadrons and operates eight C-130H aircraft. As the installation deputy commander, he also leads the day-to-day operations and maintenance of the Air Reserve Station including providing support to the nearly 5,000 assigned Air National Guard, Army National Guard, and Naval Operations Support Center.
Col. Arneson entered the Air Force as an ROTC graduate of the University of North Dakota in December 2002. Following Specialized Undergraduate Pilot Training, he was assigned to Laughlin Air Force Base, Texas, as a First-Assignment Instructor Pilot in 2004, serving as Assistant Flight Commander and qualified as a T-1A Evaluator Pilot. In July of 2008, he was assigned to the 10th Airlift Squadron at McChord Field, flying the C-17A, and served as the Chief of Squadron Training, Operations Flight Commander, and was selected as the 62d Airlift Wing Protocol Chief. In November of 2012, Col Arneson completed a 10-month deployment at Kandahar Airfield, Afghanistan, assigned to the 361st Expeditionary Reconnaissance Squadron where he was combat upgraded to Instructor Pilot in the MC-12W. In May of 2013, he became an Air Mobility Liaison Officer in the 621st Mobility Support Operations Squadron providing training and mobility expertise to over 20 Joint Base Lewis-McChord Army units supporting joint global response capabilities. In 2015 Arneson transitioned from active duty to the U.S. Air Force Reserve, joining the 313th Airlift Squadron where he became an Evaluator Pilot in the C-17A and was assigned the roles of unit Self-Assessment Program Manager, followed by Chief of Standardization and Evaluation. Col. Arneson served as the Commander of the 728th Airlift Squadron. While leading the squadron, it earned the Air Force Reserve Command’s distinguished High Performing Unit honor and was instrumental in the immediate withdrawal of U.S. Forces in Afghanistan. Prior to his current position, Col. Arneson was assigned as the Deputy Commander, 446th Operations Group, assisting in the direction and management of flight operations for five squadrons that directly supported Global Airlift Operations.
Notably, Col. Arneson is a veteran of the National Science Foundation’s Operation DEEP FREEZE mission, where he served as an Instructor Pilot, and has over 1,500 combat hours that supported the Global War on Terror, spanning the Horn of Africa, the Middle East and Asia and include Operations ENDURING FREEDOM, IRAQI FREEDOM, and NEW DAWN.
EDUCATION
2002 Bachelor of Science, Industrial Technology, University of North Dakota, Grand Forks, N.D.
2003 Air and Space Basic Course, Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala.
2009 Advanced Instrument School, Air Force Flight Standards Agency, Oklahoma City, Ok.
2009 Squadron Officer School, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
2011 Master of Business Administration by correspondence, Trident University International, Cypress, Ca.
2014 Air Command and Staff College by correspondence, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
2024 Air War College by correspondence, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
ASSIGNMENTS CHRONOLOGY
1. December 2002 – June 2003, Casual Status, University of North Dakota, Reserve Officer Training Corps, Detachment 610,
Grand Forks, N.D.
2. July 2003 – August 2004, Student, Specialized Undergraduate Pilot Training, Laughlin Air Force Base, Tx.
3. November 2004 – February 2005, Student, T-1A, Pilot Instructor Training, 99th Flying Training Squadron, Randolph AFB, Tx.
4. February 2004 – February 2008, Instructor and Evaluator Pilot, T-1A, Chief of Flight Scheduling, Squadron Programmer,
Assistant Flight Commander, Check-Flight, 86th Flying Training Squadron, Laughlin AFB, Tx.
5. March 2008 – June 2008, Student, C-17A Formal Training Unit, 58th Airlift Squadron, Altus AFB, Ok.
6. June 2008 – October 2010, Aircraft Commander, C-17A, Chief of Squadron Training, Operations Flight Commander, 10th
Airlift Squadron, Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wa.
7. November 2010 – December 2011, Aircraft Commander, C-17A, Protocol Chief, 62d Airlift Wing, JB Lewis-McChord,
Wa.
8. January 2012 – November 2012, Mission Commander and Instructor Pilot, MC-12W, Standardization and Evaluation Chief,
361st Expeditionary Reconnaissance Squadron, Kandahar Airfield, Afghanistan
9. December 2012 – April 2013, Aircraft Commander, C-17A, Assistant Director of Operations, 10th Airlift Squadron, JB Lewis-McChord, Wa.
10. May 2013 – December 2015, Aircraft Commander, C-17A, Air Mobility Liaison Officer, 621st Mobility Support Operations
Squadron, JB Lewis-McChord, Wa.
11. January 2016 – February 2021, Instructor and Evaluator Pilot, C-17A, Self-Assessment Program Manager, Standardization and
Evaluation Chief, 313th Airlift Squadron, JB Lewis-McChord, Wa.
12. March 2021 – January 2024, Commander, 728th Airlift Squadron, JB Lewis-McChord, Wa.
13. February 2024 – June 2025, Deputy Commander, 446th Operations Group, JB Lewis-McChord, Wa.
14. July 2025 – Present, Deputy Commander, 934th Airlift Wing, Minneapolis-St. Paul Air Reserve Station, Minn.
FLIGHT INFORMATION
Rating: Command Pilot
Flight hours: More than 5,000
Aircraft flown: T-37B, T-1A, MC-12W, C-17A
MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
Meritorious Service Medal with four oak leaf clusters
Air Medal with 10 oak leaf clusters
Air and Space Commendation Medal
Meritorious Unit Award
Air and Space Outstanding Unit Award with five oak leaf clusters
Combat Readiness Medal
National Defense Service Medal
Antarctica Service Medal
Afghanistan Campaign Medal with service star
Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal
Global War on Terrorism Service Medal
Humanitarian Service Medal
Nuclear Deterrence Operations Service Medal
Air and Space Overseas Service Ribbon Short
Air and Space Expeditionary Service Ribbon with Gold Border
Air and Space Longevity Service Award with four oak leaf clusters
Small Arms Expert Marksmanship Ribbon with silver star
Air and Space Training Ribbon
NATO Medal
OTHER ACHIEVEMENTS
2007 Air Education and Training Command, Athlete of the Year