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Lt. Col. Sriver takes reigns of 5th MRS

  • Published
  • By John Stuart
  • Tinker Public Affairs
TINKER AIR FORCE BASE, Okla --  Amid an atmosphere reminiscent of an extended family gathering, Lt. Col. Todd Sriver assumed command of the 5th Manpower Requirement Squadron June 17.

In a packed Tinker Club Daedalian Room, Col. Brian Norman, commander of the Air Force Manpower Agency, presided over the change of command.

Colonel Sriver succeeded Maj. Paul Burger, who will be the new chief of the Force Development Information Technology Integration Branch at the Pentagon.

Colonel Sriver entered the Air Force in 1990 and holds a bachelor's in aerospace engineering, a master's and a Ph.D. in operations research. Colonel Sriver is transferring from Ramstein Air Base, Germany, where he was the deputy chief of Analysis and Lessons Learned Division for the United States Air Forces in Europe.

"We've been overseas for nearly three years but it's good to be home," Colonel Sriver said. "I am really excited to be joining the 5th MRS team. The next couple of years will bring a number of challenges. What I promise to you is all my energy as we meet these challenges together as we advance the mission of the MRS."

With a number of accolades to its name, Colonel Sriver assumes command of the small, close-knit 5th MRS of about 40 people -- the smallest of the Air Force's five manpower requirement squadrons. Under Major Burger's tutelage, the 5th MRS spearheaded several vital studies, covering some 89,000 authorizations amounting to $5.9 billion in resources. In 2009, Major Burger was named the Air Force's Operational Level Force Support Field Grade Officer of the Year.

"Major Burger did a great job here," Colonel Norman said, just before awarding the major with a Meritorious Service Medal. "Two years have gone very quickly. I look at your achievements as a team during that time and quite honestly they're phenomenal."

"We often talk about our 'squadron family' but I've never gotten such a strong sense of the word 'family' as I did while leading this squadron," said Major Burger, who will soon pin on O-5. "To the men and women of the 5th MRS I simply can't say enough about how glad I am to have been your commander. There were countless opportunities where I was in awe for your passion for this business and your perseverance in the face of an awful lot of obstacles."