General Keys confirmed as ACC commander

  • Published
LANGLEY AIR FORCE BASE, Va. (AFPN) --  Ronald E. Keys was confirmed by the Senate on May 26 for promotion to the rank of general and assignment here as the commander of Air Combat Command.

Gen. John P. Jumper, Air Force chief of staff and a former ACC commander, pinned on ACC’s newest commander’s four-star rank following the Senate’s confirmation. General Keys assumed his commander duties immediately.

“Being selected to command ACC is a tremendous honor, and I thank General Jumper for the opportunity to lead this great command,” General Keys said. “I’m looking forward to working with the men and women of ACC and our Guard and Reserve members who serve side by side with us. It’s an honor to be their commander, and I cannot wait to get started.”

Besides his role as ACC’s commander, General Keys will also serve as the air component commander for U.S. Joint Forces Command and U.S. Northern Command.

Before his assignment as the commander of the Air Force’s largest major command, General Keys served as the deputy chief of staff for air and space operations at U.S. Air Force headquarters in Washington. He is a command pilot with more than 4,000 flying hours, including more than 300 hours of combat time in Southeast Asia. He has commanded at numerous levels Air Force-wide.

ACC is responsible for organizing, training, equipping and maintaining combat-ready forces for use worldwide and for homeland defense. The command has more than 1,200 aircraft, 25 wings, 15 bases and more than 200 operating locations worldwide with about 110,000 active-duty and civilian members. When mobilized, the Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve contribute more than 800 aircraft and 65,000 people to the command. (Courtesy of ACC News Service)