Wing CC unleashes Victory…Forged by Test Published Jan. 7, 2026 By Mike Paoli 412th Test Wing Public Affairs EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- Col. Tom Tauer, 412th Test Wing commander, rolled out shorter, more memorable and, perhaps, more emotionally charged wing mission and vision statements during Tuesday’s “Back-in-the-Saddle” All Call in the base theater. He began by challenging a volunteer from the audience to recite the wing mission statement from memory. The volunteer failed. No one else volunteered. “I really want our mission to be something that every single one of you knows off the top of your head,” Tauer told the audience. “It’s something like “fly, fight and win,” that you just remember, and it connects all of us. It’s not a comprehensive list of all the things we do, but it describes what we are all part of.” With that, he advanced a slide to the screen that read, “Sharpen American Airpower.” “This is what we do in the 412th Test Wing,” said Tauer. “I don’t care if you’re in a cockpit or you are in a back shop or you are at the gate or you are at the clinic. You all play a role in sharpening American airpower.” Referring to yesterday’s vision statement (something about center of the universe and war-winning capabilities), Tauer said, “It reflects the pride we have in being awesome at what we do, right? This is where the most important test happens, and we are really damn good at it. It captures that enthusiasm. Col. Tom Tauer, 412th Test Wing commander, rolled out shorter, more memorable wing mission and vision statements during Tuesday’s “Back-in-the-Saddle” All Call in the base theater Jan. 6. (Photo by Brandon Hernandez) “What I don’t think it captures is what we’re really trying to achieve.” He advanced to the next slide, which read, “Victory…Forged by Test.” “Victory,” he said. “We don’t test to be the best at test. We are, but that’s not why we test. We test to win wars. “And Victory is the standard. That’s what our nation demands of us, and that’s what we’re going to achieve…I think you can probably lock that one away to memory.” The commander closed by reemphasizing the need to recommit to the local mission. “It is indeed an exciting time to be in the 412th Test Wing, but none of this happens without you. Without you, these are just words on a slide,” he said. Circling back to the safety theme of Back-in-the-Saddle Day, Tauer said, “I need you, and I need you focused.” (Editor’s Note: Look for words on change, attitude and responsible behavior from Chief Master Sgt. Joshua Skarloken, 412th Test Wing command chief master sergeant, in next week’s edition of The Tower.)