First-class pilot first in class, wins top research award

Published Sept. 12, 2013
By Senior Airman Chelsea Smith
514th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs

JOINT BASE MCGUIRE-DIX-LAKEHURST, N.J. -- Taking a moment to contemplate the question, Maj. Brian Alexander bowed his head to carefully formulate an answer he may or may not have been brooding over since he received the news.

"I can't tell you why I was selected," said Alexander, 78th Air Refueling Squadron KC-10 Extender pilot. "I wrote the paper to finish the program. I didn't even know they awarded papers for outstanding academic research."

It was an unintended result after nearly four years of strenuous classwork, independent research, edits and re-writes that all culminated into a stellar research paper awarded the Airlift Tanker Association "Global Reach" award for excellence in research.

Alexander's journey began in the winter of 2009 when he enrolled in the online master's program at Air Command and Staff College in pursuit of his master's along with 507 other long distance candidates. Alexander endured 11, eight-week classes covering subjects such as leadership in warfare, joint planning and international security studies.

Students were tasked each week to compose a five-page paper resulting in a collective research paper accounting for 40 percent of the student's final grade, said Alexander.

In total, Alexander said he spent 16 weeks developing a proposal and drafting a final product, though astonishingly, he said he was able to balance a full-time work schedule around school deadlines. Often dedicating up to 12 hours per week on school work, he completed the program in less than four years.

"The schedule was demanding," he said. "The concept of writing a research paper was daunting, but I had tremendous guided instruction from my advisors throughout the entire process."

Surpassing 480 in-residence students and 507 online students, his paper, entitled "Every Last Drop in the Tank: Analyzing Air Mobility Command's Fuel Usage, Policies and Savings Efforts during Ground Operations," differentiated fuel efficiency standards between AMC and commercial airliners, a topic he was self-admittedly well-versed in.

"There were other students that I felt were doing much more groundbreaking research," he said. "Some were writing about teams on the ground in Iraq and Afghanistan and environmental issues such as fracking, but I felt like I was stating the obvious because it was all very common sense to me."

His common sense approach to the subject actually began years before hunkering down to complete his paper. Drawing on years of experience piloting KC-10 Extenders and flying commercially for JetBlue Airways and FedEx, Alexander translated his experienced, deep-seeded understanding of the subject matter to his academic work.

"Alexander is one of the best officers and pilots we have in the squadron," said Lt. Col. Michael Cruff, 78th ARS commander. "Between active-duty and reserve deployments, he has supported more than 12 overseas operations and was the first KC-10 deployed in response to the Sept. 11 attacks."

Cruff and Alexander's friendship dates back to the late 1990s when they were first commissioned as second lieutenants following initial pilot training, in which Cruff described him as one of the most talented in his training class and the best KC-10 pilot in their peer group.

"He was always very laid back and quiet," said Cruff. "But he has always excelled academically, and outside of flying, he's also a talented golfer and swimmer."

Praise also comes from Dr. Bart Kessler, ACSC Distance Learning dean, who recognized Alexander in a signed letter championing his win as a significant accomplishment underscored by outstanding sustained performance.

Naturally, his illustrious academic achievements pre-date his award and entry into the Air Force.

He holds a bachelor's degree in engineering sciences from the University of Virginia, and his family, also highly accomplished, includes his father, a retired naval officer who has a doctorate in electrical engineering and his mother, an English teacher for more than 20 years. Additionally, his wife currently works as a civil engineer while his sister works as a certified public accountant for Ernst and Young.

However, the accolades and full throttle adulation from his superiors and fellow unit members don't curtail his humble disposition because Alexander said he never thought there would be an ounce of repercussion after completing the program.

"A major motivation for enrolling initially was to obtain credit for ACSC to become more competitive for promotions," said Alexander. "But in hindsight, I gained a heightened sense of the Air Force as a whole because the program opened my eyes to functions beyond KC-10 operations."

It is this methodical and pragmatic rationale to all his successes that have relentlessly allowed him to excel academically and professionally in both his civilian and military careers.

The lieutenant colonel-select has been promoted to assistant director of operations and will assume additional duties of authoring awards and decorations and editing officer and enlisted performance reports, said Cruff.

"Good work is always rewarded with more work," said Cruff. "I anticipate continued successes in his leadership capacity as he takes on these crucial new roles."

As he officially settles into his new position, Alexander said he credits his school advisor, Dr. Dennis Duffin, his family and unit members for acting as a support system throughout the process.

"All I did was follow directions," said Alexander. "When they reviewed my research paper, it contained all the necessary components they were looking for. I take a very common sense approach to writing and ultimately, I was really just trying to graduate."

The online master's program, launched in 2007, operates through the ACSC and provides Air Force majors and civilian equivalents an educational opportunity to meet the needs of service while also accommodating current high operations tempo. Students are encouraged to finish the 88-week course within five years of their start date.