MOODY AIR FORCE BASE, Ga. -- Col. John Horner, 93rd Air Ground Operations Wing commander, gives his first remarks as the new commander during a change of command ceremony here July 31. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Joshua Green)

New 93rd AGOW commander offers world of experience

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Frances Locquiao
  • 23rd Wing Public Affairs
MOODY AIR FORCE BASE, Ga. --  A Moody tenant wing with a mission statement to "fight the base and control the attack," recently received a new leader during a change of command
ceremony held here July 31. 

Col. John Horner took command of the 93rd Air Ground Operations Wing from Brig. Gen. Michael Longoria, who will be retiring after 30 years of Air Force service. Lt. Gen. Gary North, 9th Air Force and U.S. Air Forces Central commander at Shaw Air Force Base, S.C., officiated over the ceremony. 

"I'm very excited and looking forward to my new position as leader of such a prestigious wing as the 93rd AGOW," said the new commander. "I am also honored to have the opportunity to work closely with the men and women of the 23rd Wing in the cradle of southern hospitality." 

Colonel Horner's previous assignment was as commander of the 505th Distributed Warfare Group at Kirtland Air Force Base, N.M. He has also served as the deputy foreign policy advisor to the commander of U.S. European Command at Stuttgart, Germany. 

"Colonel Horner has the perfect background to lead these Airmen," said General North. "It's now his opportunity to make the 93rd AGOW legacy even better." 

Over the last two years, Colonel Horner has been closely tracking the stand up 93rd AGOW, and the Air Force's renewed focus on the unique missions of its battlefield Airmen. 

"My top priority is to figure out where and how we can continue to improve the effectiveness of this team of war fighters," he said. "I'll strive to
provide greater combat capability to our joint forces, and my goal is to take this new wing to the next level." 

Even though the new commander will be busy taking on his new position, his priority is to take care of his Airmen. 

"Despite sitting in the commander's office, I want my Airmen to know I'm approachable and sincerely care about their well-being down to the youngest member," said the colonel. "I would not ask them to do something that I would not do myself." 

Colonel Horner graduated from the U.S. Air Force Academy, Colorado Springs, Colo., with a bachelor's degree in science. He also has a Master of Science degree from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Daytona Beach, Fla. 

He is a command pilot with more than 4,000 flight hours, predominantly in the A-10C Thunderbolt II, and has flown combat missions over Iraq, Afghanistan and the Balkans. 

The colonel and his wife, Kim, have two sons, Thomas and Sam. 

"It's truly a pleasure to command in the Air Force where the caliber of people is so high, and it will be quite an honor to work with them from the wing
level," said Colonel Horner. 

The mission of the 93rd AGOW is to provide highly trained ground combat forces capable of integrating air and space power into the ground scheme of fire and maneuver. The wing also conducts offensive and defensive ground combat operations worldwide to protect expeditionary aerospace forces anywhere, anytime. 

The 93rd AGOW provides the joint force commander airborne, air-mobile, air-land and over-land insertion capability, and remains the joint expert on
integration of air power and combat weather support to ground forces. 

The wing brings together and provides a new level of support to battlefield Airmen from the 3rd Air Support Operations Group at Fort Hood, Texas, the
18th ASOG at Pope Air Force Base, N.C., and the specialized force protection and base defense capabilities of the 820th Security Forces Group at Moody.