New command team ready to tackle mission challenges Published Aug. 1, 2006 By Col. Michael S. Stough 100th Air Refueling Wing commander RAF MILDENHALL, England -- During the 100th Operations Group change of command ceremony July 13, I had the opportunity to preside over the final leadership transition for the wing. Our new team is now in place, ready to tackle the challenges that lay before us in our support of European Command’s mission. I’m really pleased with the team that’s been assembled. Talent and commitment are clearly evident in the attitudes and actions of our new leaders, and I’m confident their leadership will help this wing achieve its vision of world-class Airmen leading the Air Force in mission execution, readiness, and quality of life. In at least one area, I’d have to say we’re pretty darned close to achieving our vision. Not that we can ever rest on our laurels, but our mission execution has been nothing short of phenomenal. Our folks have consistently been putting the right jet at the right place at the right time with the right fuel load on virtually every single mission every single day. This is obviously a team effort that involves everyone in the wing, but the ultimate responsibility to get the boom in the receptacle or the cargo to its destination rests with the men and women of the 100th Operations Group. These professionals have exceeded our goal for mission effectiveness since we’ve been tracking the data, and their success is a testament to the leadership offered by the outgoing commander, Col. Matt Arens. Colonel Arens has been an outstanding commander in this wing, and his low-key leadership style has obviously fit very well with the highly qualified professionals in the 100th OG. Whether supporting NATO refueling missions for our allies, flying cargo to the Balkans or refueling high-priority mobility missions, our crews continue to play a key role in air refueling operations in this theater. And under Colonel Arens’ leadership, we’ve expanded operations to other theaters as well. We currently have crews in Southwest Asia, flying daily refueling missions in support of the efforts to firmly establish democracy in Iraq and Afghanistan. The members of the 100th OG do more than fly, however. They also operate our airfield 24 hours per day, seven days per week, providing a “jumping-off point” into Europe, Africa and Southwest Asia for countless transient missions every year. We’ll miss Matt and his wife Margaret as they move to their new assignment at Scott Air Force Base, Ill., but the values of professionalism and dedication that Matt instilled in his group will still be here long after they’ve departed. I know this not only because of the outstanding leadership Matt Arens provided to his folks, but because of the high caliber of leadership we just brought on board. I’d like to say welcome to our new 100th OG commander, Col. J.D. Clifton, his wife Nancy, their son Brian and their daughter Emily. I’m sure they’ll enjoy their experience here in England, and we’ll benefit from Colonel Clifton’s extensive operational background and enthusiastic leadership style. The group remains in good hands, and I look forward to a continued record of mission accomplishment.