On February 27, 2026, Brigadier General Dustin J. Byrum assumed duties as Commanding General, Marine Corps Warfighting Laboratory / Futures Directorate and Vice Chief of Naval Research.
Brigadier General Byrum graduated with distinction from the United States Naval Academy with a degree in Mechanical Engineering in 1998 and was commissioned a Second Lieutenant in the United States Marine Corps. Following flight school and F/A-18 replacement pilot training, he reported to Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) Miramar, California. Between 2002 and 2013, he served three tours with the Red Devils of Marine Fighter Attack Squadron (VMFA) 232. During these tours, he deployed five times both ashore and aboard USS NIMITZ, flying combat missions in support of Operations SOUTHERN WATCH, IRAQI FREEDOM, and ENDURING FREEDOM, as well as missions throughout the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command area of responsibility.
Outside the cockpit, Brigadier General Byrum served as the Air Officer for 1st Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion and 1st Marine Special Operations Battalion, where he was the Air Fires Officer for the Marine Corps’ first Special Operations Task Force in Herat, Afghanistan. He later served as the Air Officer Department Head at Marine Aviation Weapons and Tactics Squadron One (MAWTS-1), where he was responsible for Joint Terminal Attack Controller training and Close Air Support standardization for the Marine Corps.
Selected for command of VMFA-314, he deployed the Black Knights to Isa Air Base, Bahrain, in 2018, where they conducted combat operations over Iraq and Syria in support of Operation INHERENT RESOLVE.
In 2019, he was assigned to the Joint Staff, serving in the J-8 as the lead program and budget analyst for Marine Corps programs, Tactical Air (TACAIR), and Electromagnetic Warfare. He later served as the Deputy Executive Assistant to the 20th Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. From 2022 to 2024, he commanded Marine Aircraft Group (MAG) 31 at MCAS Beaufort, South Carolina, where he flew as an F/A-18 instructor. In April 2025, he assumed duties as Assistant Deputy Commandant for Aviation.
Brigadier General Byrum is a graduate of the Strike Fighter Tactics Instructor Course (TOPGUN), the Weapons and Tactics Instructor Course (WTI), the Expeditionary Warfare School, the Marine Corps Command and Staff College Distance Education Program, the Harvard Business School Advanced Management Program, and is a distinguished graduate of the Eisenhower School for National Security and Resource Strategy.
His personal decorations include the Defense Superior Service Medal, Legion of Merit, Bronze Star Medal, Air Medal with numeral 7, Meritorious Service Medal with gold star, Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal, and Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal with gold star and “V.”