HomeNewsArticle Display

Commander to use Tinker ‘education’ at new post

  • Published
  • By Brandice J. Armstrong
  • Tinker Public Affairs
TINKER AIR FORCE BASE, Okla., --  Brig. Gen. Judith Fedder will soon return to the installation where it all began. The 76th Maintenance Wing commander has been re-assigned to Langley Air Force Base, Va., her first assignment in the Air Force.

General Fedder said to succeed at her new position as the director of Logistics at Air Combat Command Headquarters, she will apply the lessons she learned at Tinker. Here, the general stepped out of her comfort zone, and with her team, accomplished several feats. Among the most important of them was providing daily support to the warfighter.

"When you look at everything that's happened in my tenure, it's the fact that somebody in the [area of responsibility] received a quality engine from the depot, or somebody at Whiteman Air Force Base, Mo., received a part he needed for an aircraft, or we sent a KC-135 tanker out," the general said. "Supporting the warfighter is what really matters and we've done that for two-and-a-half years."

General Fedder first arrived at Tinker in July 2006. Having never been at an Air Force Materiel Command maintenance wing before, she said she faced a huge learning curve. In conquering her anxieties, she learned extensive information about the Oklahoma City Air Logistics Center and maintenance wing operations. These lessons, she said, will ultimately help her further in her career.

"Understanding how an ALC works and what a maintenance wing does, and the impact that a maintenance wing, or an air logistics center, can have on an entire warfighting command [is huge]," the general said. "Once you've been in AFMC, you can really start to put the pieces together and understand how our Air Force logistics works. In some ways I've also been able to see how commands we support can also enhance the work we do here."

The general specifically referred to the repair network integration initiative, in which the 76th MXW performs work that was previously done in the field. The initiative was implemented approximately two years ago.

"You really have to understand this business to be the most effective in other commands," General Fedder said. "Knowing what an ALC is capable of will help me facilitate some objectives once I get to my next assignment. I understand what the capabilities of an ALC are, because of all I've learned here." And, in her two-year tenure, Maj. Gen. Loren Reno, OC-ALC commander, said General Fedder has been successful and a great leader.

"She has kept the focus on the mission, the people and improvement, and the lists of awards and 'firsts' testifies to her effectiveness and her wing's excellence," General Reno said.

General Fedder said without the dedication of the personnel within the 76th MXW few of the accomplishments would have been achieved. And, it is the people she will miss the most.

"It is very difficult to leave the people of Tinker," the general said. "One of the things I said at my change of command was that before I arrived, I was told that the people at Tinker are so nice. I remember saying that when I took command, but I really didn't know how true it was. The people of Tinker and the people of Oklahoma are genuinely nice, have a great work ethic and are great Americans."

They too, will miss her.

"General Fedder established a great command climate," said Col. Evan Miller, 76th Propulsion Maintenance Group commander. "She leads by example and the wing's accomplishments were a result of her ability to bring together a very complex organization and form a team. From the Tinker Aerospace Complex, to the first-ever ALC earning Federal Aviation Administration certification, to engine repair transformation, to commodities and software successes, she made the wing stronger every day."

Col. Casey Hughson, 76th Aircraft Maintenance Group commander, agreed.

"She has successfully navigated our wing through a unit compliance inspection, a logistics standardization evaluation team visit, numerous visits by the highest levels of our Air Force, the government and the civilian sector, all while keeping us focused on exceeding our customers' expectations," Colonel Hughson said. "Every process across this wing is better than she found it nearly three years ago. I am a better person and officer just for knowing her."