New era begins for Joint Base Langley-Eustis

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Jason J. Brown
  • 633rd Air Base Wing Public Affairs
LANGLEY AIR FORCE BASE, Va. (AFNS) --  Ninth Air Force officials activated the 633rd Air Base Wing during a change-of-command ceremony Jan. 7 here.

The 633rd ABW officials assumed host unit duties from the 1st Fighter Wing officials, which served in that capacity since 1975.

Maj. Gen. William L. Holland, the 9th Air Force commander, officiated the activation ceremony for the 633rd ABW.

"Today, we take a critical step toward Joint Base Langley-Eustis by standing up the 633rd ABW to see joint basing through," General Holland said. "It will be a unique challenge to lead the transition to the joint base construct, one that will maximize the efficiency of us and our sister service."

The air base wing, comprised of two groups, provides support for more than 9,000 military and civilian personnel from Langley AFB's tenant units.

"Today begins the third incarnation of the 633rd ABW and what better place to add a new chapter to wing history than Langley AFB, with its rich history of military aviation," Colonel Kirkland said.

The activation comes at the beginning of a year of change for Langley AFB, with the congressionally directed Joint Base Langley-Eustis standing up later this month. At that time, the 633rd ABW will provide installation support for all tenant units both here and at Fort Eustis in Newport News, Va.

The wing is, and will remain, headquartered at Langley AFB. Guidance for the activation of the air base wing comes from the secretary of defense and identifies the Air Force as the lead agency.

The activation of the 633rd ABW is more than a name change, it is a "great opportunity to combine Air Force and Army resources to operate as efficiently as possible," Colonel Kirkland said. "By consolidating base support to one agency with two points of service, we will realize significant cost savings over time.

Over the coming months, we will incrementally transition the bases' support functions over to the Air Force, Colonel Kirkland said. By October, functions from base defense and engineering to food service and supplies will be the responsibility of the Air Force.

The changes will take time as Air Force and Army officials learn to adapt to the necessities of joint basing. However, he insisted that each installation will maintain its identity and culture, and that the missions will remain unchanged, Colonel Kirkland said.

"The color of the uniform may change in certain jobs, but the service will be transparent," he said. "We are 'one team, one fight' and will learn from each other as we progress into joint basing."

The 1st FW, which maintains its operations and maintenance groups at Langley AFB, will continue its dedication to global air superiority.