 Liberators, I apologize for the sound quality during the Assumption of Command. My message to you was the most important part of the ceremony. Thus I want to take the time to provide this to you. First, I want to thank Major General Payton for his kind words and appreciate his time visiting our wing. I also want to thank Major Swift and Mr. Frederick and all those who assisted with the ceremony. Major Robinson sang a beautiful rendition of our national anthem. I was also proud to watch our own Honor Guard in action. Well done. To the men, women of 459th, why did we conduct the ceremony? I took command in December but with declining rates of the pandemic, Sunday was the first time we could safely have a formation together and start the process of easing out of a difficult period. It is important we come together as one team as we take on the sacred mission sets our country has entrusted to us. I'm proud to serve alongside each of you. This wing has steeped in history since it was first activated as a Martin squadron flying B-24s in 1943. The unit flew over 200 combat missions in World War II. Since then, we have flown several mobility weapon systems in every conflict since. It is on the backs of these great veterans that are current wing rests and we will not let them down. My job is simple, remove obstacles and support you so you can each get after the mission. You are the mission, not me. I understand you give up precious time with your families to serve and are trying to juggle your civilian careers with military duty. But we need you. We live in perilous times and the Department of Defense is paving to meet these new threats. China is expanding their sphere of influence both westward and eastward with a military buildup we have never seen before. Russia is becoming increasingly aggressive and threatening both borders with Ukraine but also the Arctic Ocean. North Korea continues to build up their nuclear weapons program as Iran threatens regional states. These threats are significant and real. They will test our armed services in ways we have never imagined. No longer will we be able to rely on built-up bases which became a way of life in the global war on terror. We may find ourselves landing in a small island chain building up a base from scratch with no communications from our headquarters working solely off mission intent. To meet these threats and align with the chief of staff of the Air Force, Accelerate Change or Lose Vision, the Vice Wing Commander, Command Chief and I recently changed the Wing's vision which ties our historical legacy and teamwork with skill sets we must have to beat the threats that we may not be prepared to fight so we can win. Our new vision statement. As Liberairs we will be ready to answer our nation's call anytime and anywhere prevailing through agility, innovation and a strong Esprit décor. To meet this vision I have set four priorities for our wing to accomplish. First and foremost we must create an environment where airmen can thrive. Airmen at every level are owed a great place to work. This includes great facilities as well as great culture. We need to ensure you have adequate uniforms and we are paying you on time for your hard work. We need to recognize your work and give you timely feedback through OPRs and EPRs. It is imperative we ensure your work is free from harassment and you feel valued by your supervisors. We've already begun several initiatives in facility renovation, fixing pay processes, clean up backlogs and performance reports and providing formal mentoring training to your squadron commanders and soon CGOs and senior NCOs. I need your help. Leaders in Airmen at all levels help me create this environment. This drives at the essence of servant leadership. Second, we will develop resilient, committed, combat ready airmen. This is the heart of the mission for the Reserve Force. As individuals we must be medically ready, physically ready and trained, ready to go anytime, any place our nation calls. I need each of you to ensure you are ready. Third, we're going to put our individual talents together and be mission ready in air refueling, aeromedical operations, agile combat support and nuclear deterrence. KC-135 wings have a unique no fail mission set in deterrence. Every time we exercise we are deterring. As I can assure you our adversaries are watching how well we execute. Through their observations our adversaries will understand we are a credible, lethal force. This is deterrence. In all the other mission sets I need your help in finding new and creative ways to train. I'm a fan of integration. How can ops train with ASTS and FSS? Fourth and final, we're going to accelerate innovation to compete and deter in the high-end fight. I need each of you to think about how each of you can more effectively, efficiently and creatively employ your individual mission sets in the event of a high-end conflict. Of course it starts with what these conflicts would look like. We owe you this. These solutions are not going to come from our general officers or me, but the innovative creative focus on the line. How will crews fly thousands of miles to get out to air refueling with no communications and only mission intent? How will our aerial porters unload jets if they find themselves in a small island chain with no payloaders? Or are surgeons operate with no electronic records to track patients? I can't answer these questions, only you. You know your training. You know the mission and are in the best position to find solutions to operating in these difficult environments. I need you to challenge your tactics and procedures. I want and need you to push these solutions and tell me how I can help you remove obstacles to get after them. This is a lot to consider for our traditional reservists, like our optometry technicians, that may only drill once a month and never get a chance to get on the flight line. We're going to change that by the way. But you must understand, you matter. Your skill sets and talents you bring from your civilian career are critical for us to defeat these existential threats. Never forget why you spend one week in a month away from your family. It takes every single airman in our 1,300 member strong wing to get a single KC-135 straddle tanker in the air or conduct our nuclear deterrence mission. You're not just in the force support or logistics range of squadron, but instead a member of our wing in the Department of Defense Force. Each of you plays a unique and critical role in the defense of our country. I am proud of each of you. You continue to serve despite the pandemic and incredible amount of internal strife in our country. I'm excited about the 459th and what this team can do as we continue to protect freedom for our fellow citizens in these perilous times. Now let's get to work and fuel the fight.