General Hobbins takes USAFE helm

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RAMSTEIN AIR BASE, Germany (AFPN) --  Gen. William T. Hobbins took command of United States Air Forces in Europe from Gen. Robert H. “Doc” Foglesong today at a ceremony here.

General Hobbins begins his term just five years after he left the command as its director of aerospace operations. The general was the Air Force deputy chief of staff for warfighting integration and chief information officer for the Secretary of the Air Force.

“Robbin and I are absolutely thrilled to be back in Germany,” the general said. “We look forward to rekindling the friendships we shared just a few short years ago.”

General Hobbins spoke of his plans for the future of the command.

“In my last function, I found inspiration in the understanding that decision superiority is not narrowly about technology, but broadly about the emerging military response to the information age,” he said. “Our history of air dominance using agile deployability and geographically dispersed forces makes complete battlefield awareness essential for success.

“My goal is to lead a command instilled with these world-class information capabilities,” he said.

Gen. T. Michael Moseley, Air Force chief of staff, and Gen. James L. Jones, U.S. European Command commander, attended the ceremony.

In his farewell, General Foglesong expressed his admiration for the command’s Airmen and the tremendous job they’ve done.

“We have done great things and I have been privileged to work with such a fine group -- not only of Airmen, but of Marines, Soldiers and Sailors as well as our European Allies,” General Fogelsong said. “We have continued the incredible legacy of accomplishments that NATO has achieved over the last five decades.”

During General Foglesong’s tenure, the command stood up the Air Force’s Warfighting Headquarters and established centers of excellence for expeditionary operations, air dominance and joint fires. The general led a robust theater security cooperation effort, visited more than 60 countries and established new relationships in the command’s area of operations. He instituted 15 combat and special interest programs that have significantly improved the command’s mission readiness and quality of life.

General Hobbins has three other titles. He is the commander of Allied Air Component Command Ramstein; air component commander for U.S. European Command; and director of the Multinational Joint Air Power Competence Center at Kalkar, Germany.