MACDILL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. -- The 6th Operations Group held a change of command ceremony at MacDill Air Base, Florida, May 17, 2021. Col. Travis Edwards transferred command of the 6th OG to Col. Jonathan Burdick in a ceremony presided by Col. Benjamin Jonsson, 6th Air Refueling Wing commander.
Burdick is responsible for the planning and execution of global aerial refueling missions in direct support of the Secretary of Defense, Combatant Commanders and other national and international leaders. He leads a group comprised of 478 Airmen, four squadrons and 24 KC-135 Stratotanker aircraft.
The primary purpose of a change of command ceremony is to allow subordinates to witness the formality of command change from one officer to another. The unit's flag/guidon is exchanged during the change of command as a symbolic gesture providing a tangible view of the command authority being transferred from one commander to the next.