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552nd ACG welcomes new commander

  • Published
  • By John Stuart
  • Tinker Public Afffairs
TINKER AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. --  Under the ominous clouds of a mild midwestern morning that gave way as a backdrop for a historic change of command, Col. Roger Brown assumed command of the 552nd Air Control Group in what was the group's first change of command conducted in a tactical environment, with Control and Reporting Center radar , tents, trucks and camouflage creating a stage for the event.

At the Glenwood Training Annex, Col. Patricia Hoffman, 552nd Air Control Wing commander, presided over the July 9 change of command.

Colonel Brown succeeded Col. Scott Fischer, who is retiring after a storied Air Force career.

"Colonel Fischer led an incredible series of 'first-ever' achievements in the CRC weapon system over the past two years and inspired his Airmen to provide the world's premier command and control, battle management and communication support to save lives on the ground in Iraq and Afghanistan," Colonel Hoffman said. "There are people alive today because of him and the Air Control Group and that's the most significant thing that anyone can accomplish in two years of command."

"Men and women of the Air Control Group -- you've heard me yell out loud that you are the heart and soul of air control," Colonel Fischer said, addressing the Airmen a final time. "It isn't just a slogan. If you don't bring heart to your job and you don't carry a chunk of this mission with you in your soul you probably should be doing something outside of the Air Force. This is just an incredible environment in which to serve your country and fellow citizens."

"Colonel Brown has a wealth of command and control expertise and a wide breadth of experience," Colonel Hoffman said, introducing the new group commander. "He is the right leader to continue pushing into new frontiers with the CRC weapon system. There are many things that still need to be done and Colonel Brown is just the right officer to make that happen."

Colonel Brown entered the Air Force in 1987 and earned his Air Battle Manager wings at Tinker in 1992. He has served in operations Desert Shield, Desert Storm, Noble Eagle, Southern Watch and Northern Watch and is transferring from Camp H.M. Smith, Hawaii, where he was the director of the Operations Integration Division for Pacific Command Headquarters.

"To the men and women of the Air Control Group, we're absolutely thrilled that you've put your trust and confidence in us," Colonel Brown said." Just give us a chance and I think you'll find it's going to be a lot of fun."

Colonel Brown assumes command of a youthful group that's made quite a name for itself after just two years in existence. The 552nd Air Control Group stood up in 2008 and in 2009 earned the top Communications and Information Unit award in 8th Air Force. In the last two years the group has tripled the number of courses in the CRC schoolhouse, rewrote almost all the regulations governing CRCs, and created an innovative means for CRCs to control aircraft hundreds of miles away. The group consists of six squadrons, two at Tinker AFB and the others at Luke AFB, Ariz.; Mountain Home AFB, Idaho; Hill AFB, Utah; and Eglin AFB, Fla.