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THE CAMPAIGN FOR THE ACCOUNTABILITY OF AMERICAN BASES (CAAB) |
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THE CAMPAIGN FOR THE ACCOUNTABILITY OF AMERICAN BASES (CAAB) |
| Ramstein organization
... As of Jan. 15, Ramstein’s support and operational elements will
be organized into two wings as follows: |
KAISERSLAUTERN, Germany — Air Force officials have announced the leaders of
Ramstein Air Base’s two new wings, which will be activated Jan. 15. Brig. Gen. Rosanne Bailey will command the 435th Air Base Wing and be
responsible for Ramstein base support functions, according to a news release.
She also will be commander of the Kaiserslautern military community, which
includes more than 40,000 American military members, dependents and civilians. Bailey is now director of the Aeronautical Enterprise Program Office,
Aeronautical Systems Center, Air Force Materiel Command, at Wright-Patterson Air
Force Base in Ohio. Col. Robert Kane will command the 86th Airlift Wing, which now will focus
entirely on combat, contingency support and humanitarian airlift operations
within the U.S. European Command, including Africa. Kane now serves as the
wing’s vice commander. Brig. Gen. Erwin F. Lessel III, the current commander of the 86th Airlift
Wing and the Kaiserslautern military community, will be reassigned as deputy
director of Plans and Programs, Headquarters Air Force Materiel Command, at
Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. Ramstein Air Base is a key airlift hub for operations in the U.S. European
Command and the Middle East. It also is a crucial way point for ill and injured
servicemembers from current operations in Afghanistan and Iraq. From the base,
patients are moved to nearby Landstuhl Regional Medical Center for treatment. The changes are part of a major reorganization by U.S. Air Forces in Europe
commander Gen. Robert H. Foglesong. By splitting the 86th Airlift Wing into two
wings, Foglesong hopes to increase the efficiency of both the base support and
operational elements on Ramstein. As part of the USAFE reorganization, Foglesong also will activate the 420th
Air Base Group at RAF Fairford, England. The base is a major contingency site
for B-1 and B-52 bombers and U-2 spy planes. In other leadership changes at Ramstein, Col. Bradley Pray will be reassigned
from commander of the 86th Operations Group to vice commander of the 86th
Airlift Wing. Pray will be replaced by Col. Randy Kee, now serving as special
assistant to the Air Mobility Operations Group.