There are moments when military ceremony can feel like history made visible.
This morning at Scott Air Force Base was one of them.
I had the privilege of attending the Air Mobility Command Assumption of Command ceremony as Gen. Daniel Tulley took command of AMC. It was an impressive morning filled with the traditions and precision that remind you that military command is never simply about one person taking a new job. It is about accepting responsibility for a mission, an institution and, most importantly, its people.
And at this moment in history, that responsibility matters enormously.
Gen. Ken Wilsbach, Chief of Staff of the Air Force, and Gen. Randall Reed, commander of U.S. Transportation Command, both spoke as Gen. Tulley assumed command. The message beneath the ceremony was difficult to miss: Air Mobility Command sits at the center of America’s ability to act around the world.
Fighters and bombers understandably capture much of the public imagination. But American military power depends upon the ability to move people and equipment across oceans, refuel aircraft in the air, evacuate the wounded and sustain forces thousands of miles from home.
In an era of renewed great-power competition and rapidly changing warfare, mobility is not a supporting detail. It is a strategic advantage.
That makes having the right leadership particularly important.
It was also meaningful to share the ceremony with one of my sons. The flags, music, formations and traditions are impressive, but behind them is a reminder that our military has been built and sustained by generations of Americans willing to serve.
The morning also gave me the opportunity to visit briefly with Gen. Tulley and Gen. Wilsbach.
Gen. Wilsbach had just flown into Oshkosh last week, so our conversation naturally found its way back to airplanes. As a current F-22 pilot himself, I couldn’t resist bragging a little about two friends of the Spirit of St. Louis Air Show: Samuel “Razz” Larson and F-22 Demonstration Team pilot Capt. Nick “Laz” LeTourneau, both of whom have flown the Raptor in St. Louis. And we had just been with Laz and his family at Oshkosh. These two men exemplify leadership and service every day.
I was equally pleased to catch up with Gen. Rebecca Sonkiss, Gen. Jacqueline Van Ovost and Col. Robinson, along with a number of my fellow AMC Civic Leaders who traveled to Scott from across the country to honor Gen. Tulley and the Airmen he now leads. And I was grateful for the opportunity to personally thank both Gen. Sonkiss and Gen. Van Ovost for their service.
We do not say that enough.
Behind the ranks, commands and impressive biographies are decades of deployments, family moves, missed holidays and difficult decisions. The same is true throughout the ranks, and we owe an enormous debt to those willing to accept that responsibility on behalf of the country.
Now the focus turns forward.
Technology is changing warfare at extraordinary speed. Strategic competition is intensifying. The distances of the Pacific put enormous importance on mobility, logistics and aerial refueling. Deterrence depends upon the ability to move forces rapidly and credibly wherever they are needed.
Those realities make the quality of the people entrusted with command more important than ever.
History produces moments that demand the right leaders at the right time.
Today, Gen. Tulley took responsibility for an extraordinary command and the Airmen who make its global mission possible. It was an honor to be there to welcome him, to recognize those who have served before him and to see firsthand the people who will carry Air Mobility Command into its next chapter.
