TINKER AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. --
Tinker Air Force Base hosted the ‘2025 Tinker State of the Base’ event May 13 inside the Reed Conference Center in Midwest City, Oklahoma.
The goal of the second annual event is aimed at providing community stakeholders with the latest updates and opportunities to ask questions directly to Tinker senior leaders. Five separate wing commanders and one deputy commander made up the panel, including:
- Brig. Gen. Brian Moore, Commander, Oklahoma City Air Logistics Complex
- Col. Abby Ruscetta, 72nd Air Base Wing and Tinker Installation commander
- Col. Craig Lowery, Deputy Director, 448th Supply Chain Management Wing
- Col. Kenneth Voigt Jr., Commander, 552nd Air Control Wing
- U.S. Navy Capt. Britt Windeler, Commodore, Strategic Communications Wing 1
- Col. Matthew Ghormley, Commander, 507th Air Refueling Wing
The town hall-style event focused on recent achievements and challenges at Tinker. The Secretary of Defense’s priorities were also discussed including restoring warrior ethos, rebuilding the military and reestablishing deterrence.
“It is imperative that we continue to restore our warrior ethos,” said Ruscetta. “We are doing that in the wing every single day with Wildcatter readiness days where we are really focused on training.”
No notice inspections have become a common part of recent training. Ruscetta said Team Tinker has and continues to exceed expectations.
“I am incredibly proud of our Airmen, who just blew everyone away when they outperformed every expectation in the combat readiness inspection. Our medics were called out as some of the best medics our higher headquarters has seen.”
Innovation continues to be an important part of the Tinker mission. Ruscetta says teams are working around the clock in this digital age, incorporating Artificial Intelligence to further automate missions and make everyday jobs easier.
“Whenever I get an opportunity to talk to our Airmen, I talk about how they are our number one deterrent because they are so good at what they do,” said Ruscetta. “We want them to be so good at their job that when our enemy has a chance to stop and think about what they might do, they are going to pause and think about how well trained our Airmen and Sailors are.”
Leadership across Team Tinker prioritized mission readiness within their respective operations, with the community remaining at the heart of their efforts.
“We cannot do what we do without the installation, we cannot generate airpower,” said Voigt. “The E-3 will not be sustainable without the depot. The E-3 and the Control and Reporting Center cannot exist without efforts from our supply chain. It is an awesome symbiotic relationship that we have here at Tinker to make sure that we can produce the combat power to ensure our nation wins.”
“What we’re doing is making sure that conflict stays regional, that it doesn’t escalate to nuclear because we exist and we’re capable,” said Windeler. “Our adversaries do the math and it’s not worth trying to attack us because we can always retaliate.”
Ghormley emphasized the vital role of the 507th ARW, the largest Air Force Reserve Command flying unit in the state of Oklahoma with eight KC-135 Stratotankers, in national defense.
"In any future conflict, tankers are non-negotiable assets for the United States military,” Ghormley said. “They are the key to extending the range and operational endurance of our aircraft, ensuring we can project power and maintain the air superiority our nation demands.”
Ghormley also highlighted the unmatched community support that makes Tinker Air Force Base a destination for Reserve Citizen Airmen nationwide. Approximately 75% of the wing’s members serve part time, traveling from 28 different states to be part of the mission at Tinker.
“They’re flying and they’re driving past all kinds of different bases and Reserve units that they could serve at, but they come here because of the culture that we provide and the community that you provide,” Ghormley said.
Employees across Tinker come from 44 of the 77 counties across the state. As Oklahoma’s largest single site employer, Tinker AFB released its fiscal year 2024 Economic Impact Statement during the event. The document provides information about the economic impact (direct and indirect combined) of Tinker has on the surrounding community.
Tinker had a $7.5 billion impact on the surrounding communities. That number increased by approximately 11% compared to FY 2023, outpacing inflation.
“Our prior wing commander, Major General Bell, used to say that construction is progress, and I will tell you we have a lot of progress happening at Tinker Air Force Base every single day,” said Ruscetta. “We are building these campuses for the Oklahoma City Air Logistics Complex and are really looking forward to future workflow including setting up the ALC for success.”
During the question-and-answer portion of the event, community members referred to recent headlines surrounding layoffs, a hiring freeze and the Deferred Resignation Program (DRP), a federal government initiative allowing eligible employees to voluntarily leave their positions. Moore was questioned about its impact to the mission of the Oklahoma City Air Logistics Complex (OC-ALC).
“The U.S. Air Force and the Department of Defense are watching this very closely; we are able to adjust and make changes within the complex in particular to mitigate concerns,” said Moore. “We have a lot of different lines that have different requirements at different times. We're managing that. I think it's fair to say that we need to watch it closely moving forward.”
The State of the Base event showcased Tinker's strategic priorities and reaffirmed its community and economic development commitment. Each commander at the event provided insightful details on their respective roles, underlining the comprehensive and integrated approach required to sustain and enhance the U.S. military's readiness and strategic capabilities in the face of evolving global challenges.
Each leader on the panel credited the support of the community to continued success, resilience and mission readiness of Tinker AFB.
“Our local and small businesses are a huge part of our effort to recover the industrial base, and we simply cannot do it without them,” said Lowery. “Many of our prime OEM tier one suppliers are not in the business or no longer make parts we need to fly our aircraft now. We rely on small businesses to help us get into that and battle those obsolescence issues that we that we're tackling right now. That's where we're going to make our strides in gaining a readiness advantage.”
“Thank you for your continued success and continued support,” said Ruscetta. “Tinker is a great base because of the great communities and every single one of you represents a slice of that.”
You can watch the 2025 Tinker State of the Base in its entirety here.