Brewer: 'Continue to move forward' Published March 26, 2015 By Kenji Thuloweit 412th Test Wing Public Affairs EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- After almost three years as the 412th Test Wing commander, Brig. Gen. Michael Brewer is saying goodbye to the high desert and heading off to the Midwest to his new assignment at Headquarters, Air Force Materiel Command. Brewer's tenure with Team Edwards was a busy one. As the test wing continued to improve systems on almost every airframe the Air Force has in its fleet, Team Edwards endured challenges and witnessed change, all while continuing to get the job done. "Look at the things we've done. We've taken two wings and merged them into a single wing. We managed through a very difficult sequestration and furlough time. We moved bomber operations from one end of the ramp to the other. We brought Plant 42 into the Edwards fold and expanded the wing down into Palmdale. We improved programming and financial systems to be better aligned. On top of that, we also reorganized our tanker operations and restructured the entire F-16 fleet." "While all those changes were going on we still had to do our primary job, which is testing the airplanes. When you think about the Air Force mission - Global Reach, Global Vigilance, Global Power - we did all those things. From the F-35 to the C-17 to Global Hawk, you name it, across the entire mission of the fleet, we did it all. We continued to test and provide that capability for the future. That's an awful lot for two and three-quarters years." Brewer also commended the 412th Civil Engineering Group, 412th Medical Group and 412th Mission Support Group who continued to provide "outstanding support" to everyone on base. While on his way to an assignment with responsibility and oversight over AFMC's Plans and Programs, Brewer said what he'll miss most is the people of Edwards and the mission. "When you're in command, there is a special time where you can actually meet with people, relate with people and see the great work that people do. So hands down, missing all the folks who actually do the work is the first thing I'll miss. Here, you're very close to the mission. You see the airplanes fly and you see the improved capabilities going to the fleet. That's a little harder to see from the staff, so I will miss the closeness to the mission." Brewer will relinquish command of the 412th TW in a change-of-command ceremony March 31 in Hangar 1600. When asked if he had a parting message for Team Edwards, Brewer's words could only come from a test pilot. "Continue to move forward. We can never be stagnant. It's what we do here. We are the forward-thinkers as testers. Continue to challenge the assumptions because they're only good for a certain period of time, and when the conditions change and our assumptions are no longer valid, that's when we make real progress on moving forward. That's what we do here so continue to do that. Remember, the work that we do here every day, which seems normal for us, is actually quite extraordinary. It is, literally, keeping America safe, not only today, but for the next 50 years. That's pretty important work."