Doug Distaso is a retired Air Force pilot who served over 25 years in the United States Air Force. During his career, he deployed 17 times to combat zones in Afghanistan, Iraq, Bosnia, and Africa. His combat aviation leadership was displayed during both Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom, when he led highly trained crews and personnel into harm’s way during the initial nights of both conflicts. In addition to serving in the United States Air Force, Doug was hand-picked to serve in the Royal Air Force as a crew commander during their engagement in Iraq.

Doug was also selected to command multiple times while serving in the Air Force. In those positions he ran the largest training squadron in Air Force Special Operations and continued his second command tour integrating the newest weapon system in combat operations, the MC-130J. Doug’s reputation for leadership, technical acumen, and ability to develop subordinate growth in challenging situations were fundamental to his work. These traits enabled successes in counter-terrorism hotspots from Europe to the Pacific from 2000-2015, as he commanded over 3,500 aviation, maintenance, and support personnel globally.

He retired in 2017 from an assignment at the Pentagon for the United States Special Operations Command (USSOCOM), as Special Assistant to the Vice Commander. In that position, he crafted executive-level interagency engagement strategies designed to increase both the budget and operational authorities of our nation’s most elite warriors. Doug also played the lead role in integrating Special Operations Forces (SOF) into the Third Offset Strategy and has continued advocating for advanced technologies throughout the DoD since retirement. From operational planning to business development, he enjoys close collaboration with service members and the broader defense community to address our nation’s most challenging problems.