MACDILL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. -- Team MacDill welcomed Gen. Jacqueline Van Ovost, Air Mobility Command commander, and Chief Master Sgt. Brian Kruzelnick, AMC command chief, for a base tour April 27-29, 2021.
This tour showcased how the 6th Air Refueling Wing and MacDill play an integral role in delivering rapid global mobility, not only for the nation, but for the total Joint Force.
“When we came into command at AMC, we looked at what the command was doing with respect to competition and accelerating change,” said Van Ovost. “Right now, we are focusing on developing the force and advancing our warfighting capabilities. Those two key pieces are going to allow us to generate that full spectrum readiness and the credible capacity necessary to project the joint force and ensure strategic deterrence. Both things are done here in spades at MacDill Air Force Base.”
Throughout the two-day visit, Van Ovost and Kruzelnick witnessed first-hand how Team MacDill is accelerating change.
The AMC command team visited the 6th Security Forces Squadron, the 6th Communications Squadron and the 6th Maintenance Group, where they learned about the modern technology used to keep the base safe and the KC-135 Stratotanker aircraft flying.
Van Ovost also met with Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps cadets, pilots and some of the outstanding Airmen here in a push to recruit and diversify the future of the Air Force
“I previously watched her in a news interview and we both hate being told no,” said Senior Airman Malachi Greman, 50th Air Refueling Squadron boom operator. “Her motivation and drive inspires me to follow in her footsteps. Gen. Van Ovost is by far one of the most inspirational leaders I have met in my Air Force career.”
Diversity among the force is the single greatest advantage in advancing warfighting capabilities, and Van Ovost and Kruzelnick made sure MacDill Airmen knew just how important their role is – more now than ever.
“Here at MacDill Air Force Base, we have seen ‘accelerate change’ in motion and that momentum is important,” Van Ovost said. “The Airmen here are being aggressive, they’re being competitive, and they’re thinking about doing things different ways. They are accelerating change, it’s exciting to see and it’s spreading like wildfire.”