Dennis J. Michelini is the Deputy Executive Assistant Commissioner, Air and Marine Operations (AMO), U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP). AMO’s mission is to safeguard our nation by anticipating and confronting security threats through our aviation and maritime law enforcement expertise, innovative capabilities, and partnerships at the border and beyond. AMO has approximately 1,800 federal agents and mission support personnel, 240 aircraft, and 300 marine vessels operating throughout the United States, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. We conduct our mission in the air and maritime environments at and beyond the border and within the nation's interior. Deputy Executive Assistant Commissioner Michelini began his federal law enforcement career in 1995 as a U.S. Border Patrol (USBP) agent assigned to Carrizo Springs, Texas. In 1998, he transferred to the Laredo Sector as a USBP pilot trainee. He became an aircraft pilot in 2000, and transferred to the Blaine Sector in 2003. In August 2010, he was promoted to Supervisory Air Interdiction Agent at AMO Headquarters. Serving as Director, Air Operations–Strategy, at AMO Headquarters in November 2011, he was responsible for oversight, strategic guidance, and foundational planning of key AMO programs. From August 2013 to March 2016, Deputy Executive Assistant Commissioner Michelini served as Director, Air Operations, National Air Security Operations Center–Sierra Vista, and was responsible for unmanned aircraft system (UAS) operations and the integration and effective employment of new UAS technologies throughout the CBP environment. As a senior component representative within Joint Task Force–West in Arizona, he contributed to the evolution of policy, operations, and support to the commander’s vision and strategy. In August 2016, he served as the Director, Northern Region, responsible for coordinating the region’s operations. His duties included requirements planning; assessing the effectiveness of air and marine forces; and organizing operations with military officials and senior executives from federal, state, and local agencies. He was selected as the Executive Director, National Air Security Operations, in March 2017, and then served as the Acting Executive Director, Operations, at AMO Headquarters. In his most recent position, he served as Executive Director, Operations, at AMO Headquarters from October 2018 to January 2021. Deputy Executive Assistant Commissioner Michelini graduated from Michigan State University in 1988 with a Bachelor of Arts degree. In 2010, he graduated from the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College and earned a Master of Arts in Security Studies from Kansas State University. He is a graduate of the Department of Homeland Security Senior Executive Service Candidate Development Program at American University.