Vice Commander Welcome

  • Published
  • By 2nd Lt. Rebecca Heyse
  • 6th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs Officer
MACDILL AFB, Fla. --  Team MacDill welcomes the new 6th Air Mobility Wing Vice Commander, Colonel Matthew Arens as he rounds off his first full week on the job. He said he is excited about being at MacDill, and not just because the temperature is 60 degrees warmer than his previous duty station, though it helps.

"I'm ready to do whatever I can to support Colonel Thomas's vision as he runs the wing and helps the Airman accomplish their mission."

Colonel Arens earned his commission through the Reserve Officer Training Corps at the University of Illinois in 1983. Since then his Air Force career has allowed him to spend time in the cockpit of the RC-135, KC-10 and KC-135 in addition to serving in squadron and group level command positions as well as a joint tour with NATO. Most recently, Colonel Arens served as the Chief of Air Force Smart Operations for the 21st century for Air Mobility Command at Scott AFB.

Colonel Arens has had a lot of exposure to what it means to look at how things are done and make them better, and he's ready to do what he can to help the Airman at MacDill get the mission accomplished.

"AFSO 21 is all about reexamining processes to be more efficient," said Colonel Arens. "And since the Secretary of the Air Force has placed process improvement as a top priority, I'm excited to now be in a position where I can be the person to help Airman make improvements in themselves and the Air Force through guidance and resources."
As vice commander, Colonel Arens will be charged with assisting the wing commander in leading more than 3,800 people, overseeing base property and capital assets totaling more than $2.8 billion and controlling an annual budget exceeding $249 million.

Colonel Arens spent much of his first week learning the mission of the wing and familiarizing himself with MacDill by spending time in the groups and getting to know the Airman.

"I'm ready to do my part to help make MacDill and the Air Force a better place."