Wilsbach Installed as 24th Air Force Chief

The United States Air Force remains "the strongest, most capable, and lethal force in the world," Gen. Ken Wilsbach said Nov. 18 at a ceremony installing him as the service's highest ranking military leader, promising to maintain air superiority and instill a "fly, fix, fight" mentality across the force.

In remarks during the dignified "Assumption of Responsibility" ceremony presided over by Department of the Air Force Secretary, Troy Meink, with Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, Gen. Dan Caine, assorted elected officials and senior military leaders in attendance, Wilsbach highlighted the Air Force's history, excellence and dominance but said vigilance - and improvements - are needed to contest adversaries of today.

Guiding him, Wilsbach said, are the examples of chiefs who came before him, "titans of military aviation, true advocates of the value of air power that dreamt up and then built the greatest, most powerful Air Force the world has ever seen."

"It is truly humbling to have a chance to follow in their footsteps," he said.

Like chiefs who came before him, Wilsbach said his mandate is ensuring that, "when the nation calls, we will respond and deliver decisive combat power."

The Air Force chief of staff is responsible for ensuring the Air Force is trained, ready and equipped to accomplish any mission at any time. Wilsbach acknowledged that responsibility, saying a "core" obligation of the 665,000 Airmen and civilians is "readiness" and ensuring that all missions can be fully achieved wherever and whenever necessary.

Meink touched on similar themes and the need to ensure that the Air Force's unbroken history of excellence and superiority holds into a difficult and turbulent future.

"The chief of staff is responsible for a vision, for understanding the rapidly changing character of war and responding to it before those changes occur," Meink said.

"And that character is changing faster than any time in our history. We need to innovate faster than our enemies, not just in technology, but in everything we do - operations, maintenance, training, everything we do. Cruiser is the leader we need, and I'm excited to be working with him for the next few years," Meink said, referring to Wilsbach by his call sign.

Wilsbach, nominated by President Donald Trump in September, previously commanded Air Combat Command, Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Virginia. He succeeds Gen. David Allvin as the service's chief of staff, a position which also elevates him to a seat on the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Wilsbach is a command pilot with more than 6,200 hours in flight, including 71 combat missions. He has flown aircraft ranging from the F-15C, F-16C, MC-12 and F-22A.

While the focus was on Wilsbach, Meink also thanked Allvin, saying, "The Air Force is in a much better place because of his leadership."

In his remarks, Wilsbach cited the success of Operation Midnight Hammer, where a sortie of seven Air Force B-2 bombers assisted by more than 125 other US aircraft on June 21 and 22 struck three nuclear production facilities in Iran, as an example of US superiority that must be sustained.

"The world watched as our Airmen demonstrated the determination and ingenuity to quickly and effectively neutralize targets in the heart of Iran," he said. "This consequential operation, Operation Midnight Hammer, enabled by one of our great asymmetric advantages, our allies and partners, was the driving factor in ending the war" between Israel and Iran.

While Operation Midnight Hammer was a single mission, it carries larger significance, Wilsbach said. "Operations like this one remind us of our core responsibility as Airmen - to stay ready, credible, and capable every single day. Our main purpose has never changed: we fly and fix aircraft to fight and win our nation's wars. That mission binds us across specialties, across generations, and across the globe," he said.

The Air Force's advantage, he said, is built on a "constant focus on readiness" which must be preserved. "Airmen or aircraft not ready to fight undermines our ability as a nation to win. Restoring reliability across all aspects of our force, from trained combat formations to better aircraft availability, is vital," he said.

So too are state-of-the-art weapons, tactics and training. "Our Air Force will constantly lead the way into the future, both modernizing and innovating to stay at the vanguard of combat aviation. Accelerating our acquisition timelines for critical capabilities like the F-47, CCA and B-21 so they can be employed by our Airmen at the first opportunity will maintain our dominance."

Despite the challenges and threats, Meink and other senior leaders said that Wilsbach was the right chief of staff at the right moment.

"Deterrence only works when we prove to the entire world, day in and day out, messing with us is a bad idea. While General Wilsbach has the stick, I don't think that will be an issue," Meink said.