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J. DAVID "ROCK" BOTTOMLEE

  • Published



Colonel (Ret) Bottomlee serves as the Dean of the Air War College, Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama. The Air War College is the Air Force’s senior professional military education institution, providing post- graduate senior leader development programs focused on joint, multinational, multi-agency warfighting and international security operations, air, space, and cyber force strategy development and national security planning. Dr. Bottomlee earned a PhD from Auburn University as an Air Force Institute of Technology fellow where his research focused on Public Administration leadership. Prior to his PhD fellowship, Dr. Bottomlee served as the NATO Director of Air Operations in Kabul, Afghanistan. In this role, he was responsible for the planning and execution of all combat aviation flights including close air support, airlift, MEDIVAC, space, helicopter, and unmanned aerial vehicles.

Dr. Bottomlee entered the Air Force in 1993 as a graduate of the US Air Force Academy earning a Bachelor of Science Degree in Political Science, while also commanding the Cadet Soaring Instructor Pilot Squadron, serving as the Soaring Aerobatic Team captain, and lettering on the golf team. Later, he was a distinguished graduate from the Euro-NATO Joint Jet Pilot Training Program and then served as an F-16 instructor pilot, evaluator pilot, and mission commander for multiple assignments including several combat deployments. Additionally, he served in the US Embassy in Cairo, Egypt while also instructing Egyptian Air Force F-16 pilots as part of the Office of Military Cooperation’s Peace Vector program. Colonel (Ret) Bottomlee is a command pilot accumulating 2,500 fighter flight hours, including 107 combat missions specializing in the Suppression of Enemy Air Defenses (SEAD) mission.

Dr. Bottomlee holds master’s degrees in Business Administration from California State University, in Counseling and Leadership from the University of Colorado, and in Strategic Studies from the US Army War College. He lectures on leadership, the Profession of Arms, moral courage, and ethics.

EDUCATION and PROFESSIONAL MILITARY EDUCATION
1993 - BS in Political Science, US Air Force Academy, CO
2000 - Squadron Officers School, in residency (PDE), Air University, AL
2005 - MBA in Organizational Management, California State University, CA
2006 - MA in Counseling and Leadership Development (IDE-AFIT), University of Colorado, CO
2006 - Air Commander and Staff College, in correspondence (IDE), Air University, AL
2012 - MA in Strategic Studies, US Army War College (SDE), Carlisle Barracks, PA
2019 - PhD in Political Science/ Leadership in Public Administration, Auburn University, AL

FLIGHT INFORMATION
Rating: Command pilot Flight Hours: 2,500
Aircraft Flown: F-16, AT-38C, T-38B, and T-37

RESEARCH & SCHOLARSHIP (since 2020)

  • Research Interests: Leadership, Moral Courage, Character Development, the Profession of of Arms, Ethics, Moral Injury, Toxic Leadership, Organizational Culture and Change, Combat Airpower, Core Values, Strategic/ Critical/ Creative Thinking, Negotiations 
  • Curriculum Development, “AWC Next” (2022) Formed two independent Working Groups to review & recommend changes to AWC curriculum; personally guided detailed changes to entire curricula creating a new course and revising others to meet CJCS warfighting focus 
  • Dissertation, “Leading Through Culture Crisis: The Full Range - Adaptive Mixed Leadership Model” (2019) and forthcoming book (est 2024)
  • Research Paper, “Building Leaders' Moral Courage to Defeat the King David Syndrome” (2013) forthcoming monograph (est 2023) https://apps.dtic.mil/sti/pdfs/ADA589035.pdf
  • Forthcoming Article, “Leading the Way on Warfighting: AWC Next” (est July 2022) Co-Author with other AWC leaders
  • Lecture, “Trust and Stewarding the Profession of Arms” (2020 & 2021) AWC, https://youtu.be/7zWvIyV4r_0
  • Presentation, “The Essential Value of Emotional Intelligence in Leadership” (2021) Air University Research Showcase
  • Presentation, “COVID-19 Mitigation at Air War College” (2020) Auburn University President and Board of Directors
  • Moderator, CSAF General Charles Q Brown’s First Address to Air University. (2020) Maxwell
  • Curriculum Development, As Dept Chair, led efforts to revise DEW core courses: Strategic
  • Leadership; Air, Space & Cyber Power; and Theater Strategy & Campaigning (2020)

MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
Bronze Star Medal Purple Heart
Meritorious Service Medal (four oak leaf clusters) Air Medal (two oak leaf clusters)
Aerial Achievement Medal (one oak leaf cluster)
Air Force Commendation Medal (one oak leaf cluster) Air Force Achievement Medal (one oak leaf cluster) Meritorious Unit Award
Air Force Outstanding Unit Award with Valor (one oak leaf cluster) National Defense Service Medal
Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal Afghanistan Campaign Medal
Global War on Terrorism Service Medal
NATO Medal – International Security Assistance Forces, Afghanistan Air Force Expeditionary Service Ribbon
Air Force Longevity Service Ribbon (five oak leaf clusters) Air Force Training Ribbon

PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS
Delta Mu Delta
Graduate Business Student Honor Society Chi Sigma Iota
Counseling and Psychology Honor Society
Order of Daedalians
Professional Order of American Military Pilots Air Force Association
Fraternal Organization Promoting Aerospace Auburn University Alumni Association
US Army War College Association of Graduates
University of Colorado, Colorado Springs Alumni Association
California State University Business School Alumni Association
US Air Force Academy Association of Graduates

(Current as of Apr 2023)