Robins gets a new installation commander
WARNER ROBINS -- Col. Jeff King comes to Robins Air Force Base from the other side of the world. He has never served at the base, but he is well familiar with it.
Thursday he took command of the 78th Air Base Wing before a crowd of about 400 people at the Museum of Aviation. The wing commander is also the installation commander, a role that is similar to that of a mayor.
Relinquishing command was Col. Chris Hill, who is moving on to a job at the Pentagon. Hill has commanded the 78th Air Base Wing for two years.
King is coming to Robins from Kadena Air Base, in Okinawa, Japan, where he commanded the 18th Maintenance Group. The group flies 54 F-15s and Robins has worldwide responsibility for keeping the decades-old fighters flying.
King said he has been on the phone a lot with Robins during his Kadena command, as well as four previous assignments that involved F-15 maintenance.
“We are 14 hours ahead or so in Okinawa, so whether it’s the middle of the night for us or the middle of the night here, there was someone to respond and help us keep our airplanes in the air,” he told The Telegraph prior to the ceremony. “They really find some innovative ways to keep the airplanes flying and support the mission abroad.”
After taking command, King directly addressed those serving in the 78th Air Base Wing.
“I guarantee you that just as you focus on base operations and support for our mission partners, your leadership team will be focused on caring for you and your families,” he said.
The ceremony was officiated by Lt. Gen. Lee Levy, former maintenance commander at Robins and the new commander of the Air Force Sustainment Center. The center is the parent agency of the Warner Robins Air Logistics Complex, the base’s largest unit.
Levy and King served together in Afghanistan.
“I know what he can do, and he wouldn’t be here if I didn’t have full confidence in him,” Levy said. “He will deliver results.”
Levy gave King a blunt description of the challenge he is about to face.
“This is full bore, full face on, giddy up,” he said. “This is the Rubik’s Cube of command, with all of the mission partners and all of the things that you have to do.”
While the ceremony was relatively brief, there has been much more to the transition leading up to it. King estimated he has spent 100 hours talking to Hill on the phone or in person to prepare.
He said his top priorities are safety, efficiency and having good relations with the labor force. Those are the keys to luring new jobs to the base, he said.
“I think if we focus our resources on being as efficient and effective as possible, we can demonstrate headroom for additional workload,” he said.
To contact writer Wayne Crenshaw, call 256-9725.
This story was originally published June 25, 2015 at 11:53 AM with the headline "Robins gets a new installation commander ."