Air Force Reserve Officer Accused of Threatening to Shoot Airline Captain Indicted, Access to Sensitive Information Suspended

Jonathan J. Dunn, the lieutenant colonel charged with threatening a flight crew, was previously relieved of command for refusing the COVID-19 vaccine and suspended from a sensitive role at the 603rd Air Operations Center amid judicial proceedings; he is also a former Delta pilot whose authorization to carry a gun on board was revoked.

• Air Force Reserve Lt. Col. Jonathan J. Dunn, who previously refused a COVID-19 vaccine and was relieved of command, was indicted on charges of threatening to shoot a commercial airline captain during a dispute over whether to divert a flight for a passenger requiring medical attention. Dunn was the co-pilot on the flight.
• Post the incident, Dunn's access to sensitive information at the 603rd Air Operations Center, where he was training at Ramstein Air Base in Germany, was suspended by the Air Force. The nature of his duty meant that his absence will not affect the center's daily operations.
• Dunn is no longer employed with Delta Air Lines, and he has been removed from a Department of Homeland Security program that permits certain pilots to carry a gun on board, as his authorization was revoked following the incident.
• In 2021, Dunn objected to receiving the COVID-19 vaccine on religious grounds, arguing he was already protected having contracted the virus earlier. His appeal against the Air Force's vaccine mandate reached the Supreme Court, where it was dismissed in a 6-3 decision.
• Dunn, who served over a decade in active Air Force duty and another ten years in the reserves, earned numerous awards and decorations throughout his military career, including the 'Nuclear Deterrence Operations Service Medal'.

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