Lt Colonel Matthew Taylor is an Air Force Special Operations pilot, primarily flying the MC-130J aircraft. He has spent 12 years of his 18-year career overseas, planning and executing special operations missions in hostile and politically-sensitive environments in Asia, the Middle East, Africa and Europe. Most recently, Lt Col Taylor led the 1st Special Operations Squadron in Okinawa, Japan, an 80-person unit conducting missions throughout the Department of Defense’s largest and most diverse theater, including: airdropping Special Forces soldiers, refueling helicopters in mid-air, and landing to deliver foreign humanitarian assistance—where there were no runways. He has a bachelor’s degree in Political Science and a master’s degree in International Relations.