WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Ohio -- Summer 2019 marks a number of key leadership changes for the Air Force Materiel Command.
At the headquarters level, Gen. Arnold W. Bunch Jr. assumed command May 31, filling the position vacated when Gen. Ellen Pawlikowski retired in Sept. 2018. Lt. Gen. Robert McMurry, who bridged the gap between Pawlikowski’s departure and Bunch’s confirmation, has returned full time to his duties as Air Force Life Cycle Management Center commander.
AFMC Director of Logistics, Civil Engineering, Force Protection and Nuclear Integration, Maj. Gen. Allan E. Day, will depart to take on a new position as the dual-hatted Director, Logistics Operations at Defense Logistics Agency and Commander, Joint Regional Combat Support in the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics. Maj. Gen. Stacey T. Hawkins will replace Day, moving to headquarters from his current position as Commander, Ogden Air Logistics Complex, Hill Air Force Base.
Maj. Gen.(select) Kenneth T. Bibb, Jr. will take over as Director, AFMC Strategic Plans, Programs, Requirements and Analyses as Brig. Gen. Heather Pringle departs for the position as Air Force Director, Strategic Plans, Deputy Chief of Staff, Plans and Programs at the Pentagon. Brig. Gen. Evan C. Dertien will fill Bibb’s position as AFMC Director, Air, Space and Cyberspace Operations, moving to headquarters from his current position as Commander, 96th Test Wing, Eglin Air Force Base.
Other changes include the departures of Col. Damian Wilborne, Deputy Director, Contracting, and Col. Jason Lindsey, AFMC Director of Staff. Farris Welsh, AFMC Small Business director, has announced her retirement this month.
In addition to headquarters personnel changes, a number of leadership changes will occur at AFMC center and wing locations.
At the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Brig. Gen. Brian R. Bruckbauer will become Director, Air Force Security Assistance and Cooperation. He will take over for Maj. Gen. (select) Sean M. Farrell, who will be the new Director, Force Structure, Requirements, Resources and Strategic Assessments at Headquarters, Special Operations Command.
Brig. Gen John P. Newberry moved from his current position as Senior Materiel Leader, KC-46 System Program Manager to be the Program Executive Officer, Tankers. He will fill the position currently held by Brig. Gen. Donna D. Shipton, who will become Vice Commander, Space and Missile Systems Center at Air Force Space Command. Brig. Gen. Ryan L. Britton will become the Program Executive Officer, Presidential and Executive Airlift, departing his position as Director, Global Reach Programs in the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics at the Pentagon.
Also at the AFLCMC, Paul C. Waugh will be the new Program Executive Officer, Agile Combat Support, at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. He will depart his position as Executive Director, Air Delivered Capabilities Directorate, at the Air Force Nuclear Weapons Center. Marcus F. Novak will become Director, F-35 Hybrid Support Integrator, Joint Strike Fighter Program Office, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base.
Maj. Gen. Bradley D. Spacy, the Air Force Installation and Mission Support Center commander, has announced his retirement. Brig. Gen. John T. Wilcox II will fill Spacy’s position, coming to AFMC from Air Force Global Strike Command. AFIMSC will have a new Director, Expeditionary Support, when Brig. Gen. (select) Stewart A. Hammons departs his position as commander at the 27th Operations Wing, Air Force Special Operations Command.
Brig. Gen. (select) Scott A. Cain will be the new 96th Test Wing commander at Eglin Air Force Base, moving from his current position as commander, Arnold Engineering and Development Complex. Also at the Air Force Test Center, Dr. Joseph W. Nichols will depart his position as Technical Advisor for Flight Test and Evaluation.
Brig. Gen. James H. Dienst will be the new commander at the Air Force Research Laboratory’s 711th Human Performance Wing, taking over for Brig. Gen. Mark A. Koeniger who is heading for the Pentagon to be the Special Assistant to the Surgeon General of the Air Force. Christopher J. Ristich is appointed Director, Air Force Strategic Development Planning and Experimentation, AFRL at Wright-Patterson. Col. Elena Oberg, AFRL vice commander, retired from active duty service in May.
At the Air Force Sustainment Center, Brig. Gen. Constance McCauley von Hoffman will replace Hawkins as commander at Ogden Air Logistics Complex at Hill Air Force Base. Alphonso Thomas will be the new Director, Engineering and Technical Management, Tinker Air Force Base, transitioning from his current position as Technical Director at Warner Robins Air Logistics Center.
The Air Force typically sees a spike in moves each summer, in part to minimize the impacts to families with children who are typically on break from school.