366th Fighter Wing welcomes new commander

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Benjamin Sutton
  • 366th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
MOUNTAIN HOME AIR FORCE BASE, Idaho --  The 366th Fighter Wing welcomed a new commander during a ceremony here April 20.

Col. Chris Short assumed command of the 366th FW from Col. Ron Buckley in front of his family, friends and more than 500 members of the Gunfighter community who gathered inside Hangar 211. Buckley moves to Washington, D.C., where he will serve as the Chief of Air Force Senate Liaison. Short is the 53rd commander to take the helm, dating back to the Wing's inception in 1953.

"This combat wing has a rich heritage and comprises more than 4,100 warriors continually rising to every challenge," stated presiding officer Lt. Gen. Robin Rand, 12th Air Force commander.

"More than 2,500 of those warriors have deployed in the past two years and directly assisted ground forces in the elimination of six of the National Security Council's most wanted terrorists," he continued.

General Rand praised Short for his accomplishments during his previous assignment as vice commander of the 23rd Wing, Moody Air Force Base, Ga.

"Colonel Short has a perfect blend of staff experience, professional military education, advanced academic education and he has first-hand combat experience," stated Rand.

The new commander is excited about the opportunity to take on the role as Gunfighter 1.

"I look forward to working with the world's best Airmen as the commander," said Short. "When you walk into an organization as professional, and with an outstanding reputation as the 366th Fighter Wing does, you can only assist in keeping that team going in the right direction while looking for opportunities to make small improvements."

As commander, Short will lead an operational fighter wing of more than 4,300 military and civilian members, and three squadrons of fighter aircraft which includes a Republic of Singapore squadron of F-15SG fighter aircraft.

"It is a tremendous honor to be a member of the Gunfighter family," said Short. "The Gunfighters have a tremendous heritage and the things they are doing both at home and in deployed locations are outstanding.

"The base as well as the Air Force is changing rapidly," he continued. "We need to be prepared to adjust our strategic focus while not allowing fiscal constraints to negatively affect us. Our focus will remain ensuring we can perform our mission, support our deployed commanders and take care of Gunfighters."