Jonathan W. Bott

Military Professor Joint Military Operations Department

Lt. Col., U.S. Air Force

Biography

Lt. Col. Jonathan “Vapor” Bott is a military professor in the Joint Military Operations Department. He previously served as 4th Fighter Wing Chief of Staff and commanded the 333rd Fighter Squadron. As an F-15E Weapons System Officer, he has flown over 2,200 hours including over 600 combat hours in six deployments to Afghanistan, the Persian Gulf, Africa, and Europe. He also supported Afghan evacuation efforts. He received a B.S. in human physiology from Boston University and three Masters degrees, most recently a Master of Military Arts and Science in theater operations from the School of Advanced Military Studies at Fort Leavenworth, KS, where he authored multi-domain operations research.

Contact Information

Jonathan.Bott@usnwc.edu

@VaporSE

Areas of Expertise

Afghanistan
Air Warfare
Civil-Military Relations
HA/DR
Joint Operations
Leadership
Military Planning
Nuclear
Operational Warfare

Professional Highlights

2022

National Defense Fellow and Visiting Scholar, Brown University

Served as temporary faculty at Brown University’s Watson Institute. Provided guest lectures for graduate and undergraduate classes. Co-Authored foundational report on Afghan experiences during 2021 evacuation for the Center for Human Rights and Humanitarian Studies.

2021

Chief of Staff, 4th Fighter Wing

Supervised 158 Airmen and 17 civilians while directing the activities of 23 Agencies and six Directorates. Acted as Vice Commander, 4th Fighter Wing for seven months, guided 6,100 personnel supporting 94 F-15E aircraft.

2019

Commander, 333 Fighter Squadron

Led 376 personnel responsible for 21 F-15E aircraft and a $1.1 million budget. Directed the largest and most efficient formal training unit in the combat Air Force. Trained over 100 students annually. Guided organization restructure, pioneered innovative syllabi, and forged international exchanges.

2018

Special Assistant to the Commander, 4th Fighter Wing

Authored strategy, executive correspondence, and speeches. Created inaugural award-winning innovation program, soliciting, organizing, and leading cost-saving initiatives. Created virtual reality training lab and organized professional development series with authors, academic and industry leaders.

2017

Director of Operations, 4th Training Squadron

Directed $198 million-dollar training program and quality assurance for $135 million in contracts.
Temporarily assigned to HAF/A5 to co-author the Air Force Operating Concept.

Education

M.A., School of Advanced Military Studies, 2017, Military Art and Science-Theater Operations

M.A., Air Command and Staff College, 2016, Military Art and Science-Strategic Studies

M.A., Air Command and Staff College, 2011, Military Operational Art and Science-Leadership Studies

B.S. with Honors, Boston University, 2003, Human Physiology

Joint & Combined Warfighting School, Joint Forces Staff College, 2022

C.V. or Resume

Related Credentials

National Defense Fellow
Brown University

Human-Centered Design - Innovation Boot Camp
UC Berkeley

F-15E Evaluator Weapons Systems Officer

Research Contributions and Publications

“Then, We Lost Everything: Afghan Evacuee Experiences during Operation Allies Refuge and Operation Allies Welcome”
Co-Author
Center for Human Rights and Humanitarian Studies, Brown University, 2023

“Dominating DIME: Reimagining Combatant Commands”
Co-Author with Rhett Begley, Matthew Kohler, and Jeffrey Geraci
National Defense University, Norfolk, VA, 2022

Winning Westeros: How Game of Thrones Explains Modern Military Conflict
Contributing Author
Potomac Books, an imprint of the University of Nebraska Press, Lincoln, NE, 2019

“Air Force Operating Concept”
Co-Author
United States Department of the Air Force, Washington D.C., Jan 2018

“Multi-Domain Operations and the Joint Force”
Three Article Series, Over The Horizon Journal, 21 Apr – 7 May 2017

“What’s After Joint? Multi-Domain Operations as the Next Evolution in Warfare”
United States Army Command and General Staff College, Fort Leavenworth, KS, 2017

“Smart Education: The Effects of Officers Obtaining Masters Degrees”
Air University Press, Maxwell AFB, AL, 2016

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