Col. James D. Akers II is the Commander of the 927th Air Refueling Wing, MacDill Air Force Base, Florida. He is responsible for the organization, training, equipping and worldwide readiness of a reserve wing. The 927th Air Refueling Wing supports contingencies and humanitarian operations around the world with in-flight air refueling, cargo airlift and passenger movement in the KC-135R Stratotanker. The wing provides additional combat-ready forces from Aerospace Medicine, Logistics Readiness, Security Forces, Force Support, Operations Support, and Aeromedical Evacuation squadrons
Colonel Akers entered the Air Force through the Reserve Officer Training Corp at Texas Tech University and was commissioned onto active duty in the Regular Air Force on Sept. 10, 2001. He initially served as a navigator on the C-130E at Ramstein Air Base, then as a pilot on the C-17A at Charleston Air Force Base and Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst. Colonel Akers’ next assignment was as C-17A Formal Training Unit evaluator pilot at Altus Air Force Base, both in the Regular Air Force and as an Air Reserve Technician in the Air Force Reserve Command. He then moved on to serve as the Director of Operations for the 758th Airlift Squadron and then the Commander, 911th Operations Group, both at Pittsburgh Air Reserve Station, Pennsylvania. Prior to his current position, Akers was Deputy Director of Operations, Strategic Deterrence and Nuclear Integration, Headquarters Air Force Reserve Command, Robins Air Force Base, Georgia.
Colonel Akers is a prior navigator and current command pilot with more than 5,000 flight hours, a veteran combat airlifter, has instructed over 1,000 C-17 aircrew students, and is a graduate of the Army Basic Airborne Course. He has deployed in support of Operations JOINT FORGE, JOINT GUARDIAN, ENDURING FREEDOM, IRAQI FREEDOM, NEW DAWN, and INHERENT RESOLVE.
EDUCATION
2001 Bachelor of Science, Family Financial Planning, Texas Tech University, Lubbock
2003 Aerospace Basic Course, Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala.
2008 Squadron Officer School, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
2010 Master of Business Administration, Webster University, St. Louis, Mo., by correspondence
2014 Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell AFB, Ala., by correspondence
2022 Air War College, Maxwell AFB, Ala., by correspondence
ASSIGNMENTS
- September 2001 – July 2002, Student, Joint Specialized Undergraduate Navigator Training, Randolph Air Force Base, Texas
- July 2002 – February 2005, C-130E Navigator, Awards & Decorations Officer, 37th Airlift Squadron, Ramstein Air Base, Germany
- February 2005 – April 2006, Student, Undergraduate Pilot Training, Columbus AFB, Miss.
- April 2006 – April 2010, C-17A Pilot, Flight Commander, 16th Airlift Squadron, Charleston AFB, S.C.
- April 2010 – May 2012, C-17A Instructor Pilot, Chief of C-17 Wing Training, 305th Operations Support Squadron, Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, N.J.
- May 2012 – August 2013, C-17A Instructor Pilot, Assistant Operations Officer, 6th Airlift Squadron, Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, N.J.
(January 2013 – June 2013, Detachment Commander, 385 Air Expeditionary Group, Ali Al Salem, AB, Kuwait)
- August 2013 – August 2014, C-17A Instructor Pilot, Assistant Operations Officer, 97th Training Squadron, Altus AFB, Okla.
- August 2014 – September 2016, C-17A Evaluator Pilot, Chief of Standardization and Evaluation, 58th Airlift Squadron, Altus AFB, Okla.
(November 2015 – June 2016, CJ-35 Future Operations Planner, Combined Joint Task Force – Operation INHERENT RESOLVE, Camp Arifjan, Kuwait)
- September 2016 – July 2018, C-17A Evaluator Pilot, Flight Commander, 730th Air Mobility Training Squadron, Altus AFB, Okla.
- July 2018 – September 2022, Director of Operations, 758th Airlift Squadron, Pittsburgh Air Reserve Station, Penn.
- September 2022 – January 2024, Commander, 911th Operations Group, Pittsburgh ARS, Penn.
- January 2024 – September 2024, Chief, Mobility Operations Division, Headquarters Air Force Reserve Command, Robins AFB, Ga.
- September 2024 – November 2025, Deputy Director of Operations, Strategic Deterrence and Nuclear Integration, Headquarters Air Force Reserve Command, Robins AFB, Ga.
- November 2025 – Present, Commander, 927th Air Refueling Wing, MacDill AFB, Fla.
FLIGHT INFORMATION
Rating: Command Pilot, Navigator
Flight hours: 5,664
Combat hours: 1,285
Aircraft flown: T-43, C-130E, T-37, T-1, and C-17A
MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
Meritorious Service Medal with five oak leaf clusters
Air Medal with six oak leaf clusters
Aerial Achievement Medal
Joint Service Commendation Medal
Air and Space Commendation Medal
Air and Space Achievement Medal with one oak leaf cluster
EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION
Second Lieutenant September 10, 2001
First Lieutenant September 10, 2003
Captain September 10, 2005
Major November 1, 2011
Lieutenant Colonel December 1, 2016
Colonel April 15, 2023
(Current as of November 2025)