Acting no longer: Chief receives command chief position

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class William O'Brien
  • 95th Air Base Wing Public Affairs
EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. --  The 95th Air Base Wing received its new command chief Aug. 11 after more than three months of wait.

Chief Master Sgt. Eric Jaren left his post as 95th Mission Support Group superintendent to become the top enlisted Airman in the 95th Air Base Wing.

"Command chief is a great responsibility that I take seriously. I feel that the experiences I've gained in my career give me a good perspective on various aspects of the mission. I would like to thank Col. Jerry Gandy, 95th Air Base Wing commander for the confidence he has in my ability to succeed," said Chief Jaren.

As the 95th Air Base Wing command chief, Chief Jaren said his primary duty is to address the Air Force's top three priorities: win the current fight, take care of the Airman and modernize the fleet.

"To win the current fight, I have to ensure all Airman are prepared to fulfill both our military and expeditionary commitments," Chief Jaren said. "This includes addressing all aspects of training. We need to be ready."

Taking care of Airmen includes ensuring they are all safe, secure and trained, he said. This means providing strong programs that cover everything from sponsoring inbounds to checking up on our deployed and their families, providing top-notch professional development and solid quality-of-life initiatives.

"Since Edwards is the home to the Air Force Flight Test Center, we are afforded a great opportunity to support modernization of our fleet." he said. "And instead of doing more with less, I want to cut out waste. The time, effort and resources saved will provide relief from the volume of tasks that need to be done every day."

Chief Jaren said he is happy with the direction the base has been going and plans to work off the successes of the past for an even brighter future.

"I've seen basewide improvements in the year that I've been here," he said. "Colonel Gandy and I have plans to build on those successes while we work to maintain air and space power dominance for our nation".

Chief Jaren joined the Air Force in 1982 and has served in the operations group, maintenance group, and mission support group as well as tours in protocol and the headquarters of the 15th Air Force. He also participated in 19 different deployments, operations and major exercises. He became a chief in 2004 and came to Edwards in July 2007.