Lt. Col. Brandon J. Alford is the commander, U.S. Air Force Honor Guard, Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling, Washington, D.C. He is responsible for leading 285 Airmen and Guardians in more than 3,500 Department of the Air Force and joint service ceremonies performed annually for the President, Secretary of Defense, Secretary of the Air Force, Chief of Staff of the Air Force, Chief of Space Operations, and other dignitaries worldwide. He ensures the Department of the Air Force complies with the congressional mandate to provide Air Force and Space Force veterans with appropriate military honors at Arlington National Cemetery and other cemeteries in the surrounding five-state region. He is also responsible for the policies, training, and performance standards of more than 225 Air Force and Space Force base honor guard units worldwide.
Lt. Col. Alford is a 2008 distinguished graduate of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University’s Reserve Officer Training Corps program. He has served in a variety of weather, Sexual Assault Prevention and Response, and command positions. Prior to his current position, he deployed to command the 13th Expeditionary Combat Weather Squadron, leading Air Force Weather’s integration into U.S. Army’s weather V Corps missions across nine operating locations in five European countries.
EDUCATION
2008 Bachelor of Science in Applied Meteorology, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Prescott, Ariz.
2008 Air and Space Basic Course, Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala.
2010 Sexual Assault Response Coordinator Course, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
2012 Squadron Officer School (Distance Learning Course)
2013 Squadron Officer School, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
2015 Joint Meteorological and Oceanographic Officer (METOC) Course, Ft. Bragg, N.C.
2015 Master of Science in Leadership, Duquesne University, Pittsburgh, Pa.
2019 Joint Air Operations Planning Course, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
2020 Air Command and Staff College (Distance Learning Course)
2021 Basic Airborne Course, Fort Benning, Ga.
2022 Leader Development Course for Squadron Command, Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala.
2024 DoD Coaching Culture Facilitators Course Cohort 24A, Flatter Inc. (Live Distance Learning Course)
2024 Air War College (Distance Learning Course)
ASSIGNMENTS
1. October 2008 – November 2009, Regional Operations Meteorologist, 17th Operational Weather Squadron, Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii
2. November 2009 – November 2010, Officer in Charge, Forecasting Element, 17th Operational Weather Squadron, Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii
3. November 2010 – November 2011, Officer in Charge, Standardization and Evaluation, 17th Operational Weather Squadron, Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii (Mar - Nov 2012 – Sexual Assault Response Coordinator (SARC), 15th Wing, Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii)
4. February 2012 – June 2012, Flight Commander, 8th Operations Support Squadron; Executive Officer, 8th Fighter Wing, Kunsan Air Base, Republic of Korea
5. June 2012 – March 2013, Executive Officer, 8th Fighter Wing, Kunsan Air Base, Republic of Korea (Feb - Aug 2012 – SARC, 8th Fighter Wing, Kunsan Air Base, Republic of Korea)
6. July 2013 – August 2015, Commander, Detachment 4, 7th Weather Squadron, Katterbach Army Heliport, U.S. Army Garrison Ansbach, Germany (Apr - Nov 2014 – SARC, U.S. Army Garrison Ansbach, Germany)
7. August 2015 – August 2017, Chief, Readiness and Mobility, 7th Weather Squadron, Lucius D. Clay Kaserne Wiesbaden
8. August 2017 – August 2018, Assistant Director of Operations, 7th Weather Squadron, Lucius D. Clay Kaserne Wiesbaden
9. August 2017 – February 2018 – Staff Weather Officer, 4th Infantry Division Mission Command Element, Operation ATLANTIC RESOLVE, Poznan, Poland (and lead SARC, Operation ATLANTIC RESOLVE)
10. September 2018 – September 2020, Chief, Weather Division and Chief, Partner Nation Exercises and Airshows, 12th Air Force (Air Forces Southern), Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Tucson, Ariz.
11. May 2019 – September 2019 – Commander, 346th Expeditionary Air Base Squadron, Base Camp Seweyo, Guyana
12. September 2020 – July 2023, Director of Operations, 18th Weather Squadron, Ft. Bragg, N.C.
13. February 2022 – April 2022 – Staff Weather Officer and Joint METOC Officer, Joint Task Force Dragon (XVIII Airborne Corps) / Operation NEW NORMAL, Lucius D. Clay Kaserne, Germany
14. July 2023 – July 2024, Chief, Army Weather Operations and Policy, Headquarters Department of the Army, Deputy Chief of Staff G2, Pentagon, Washington, D.C.
15. July 2024 – April 2025 – Commander, 13th Expeditionary Combat Weather Squadron, Camp Kościuszko, Poznań, Poland
16. June 2025 – Present, Commander, United States Air Force and Space Force Honor Guard, Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling, Washington, D.C.
MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
Meritorious Service Medal with five oak leaf clusters
Joint Service Commendation Medal
Air and Space Commendation Medal with two oak leaf clusters
Army Commendation Medal with one oak leaf cluster
EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION
Second Lieutenant May 2, 2008
First Lieutenant May 28, 2010
Captain May 28, 2012
Major March 1, 2018
Lieutenant Colonel April 1, 2023
(Current as of July 2025)