1 00:00:00,690 --> 00:00:04,150 - [Narrator] During the December UTA at 9:16 a.m. 2 00:00:04,150 --> 00:00:06,200 Colonel Stephen Lanier assumed command 3 00:00:06,200 --> 00:00:08,470 of the 916th Air Refueling Wing. 4 00:00:08,470 --> 00:00:11,010 A graduate of the Air Force Academy in 1990, 5 00:00:11,010 --> 00:00:13,490 Lanier has an extensive background on tankers 6 00:00:13,490 --> 00:00:15,700 and held Instructor Evaluator positions 7 00:00:15,700 --> 00:00:18,640 on KC-10s and KC-135s. 8 00:00:18,640 --> 00:00:20,790 He has deployed in support of multiple overseas 9 00:00:20,790 --> 00:00:23,860 contingencies including Operations Southern Watch, 10 00:00:23,860 --> 00:00:26,230 Iraqi Freedom, and Enduring Freedom. 11 00:00:26,230 --> 00:00:29,380 As for being assigned to the 916th, for the Colonel, 12 00:00:29,380 --> 00:00:30,410 - It feels like home. 13 00:00:30,410 --> 00:00:32,990 The spirit of the wing is what I remember 14 00:00:32,990 --> 00:00:36,380 from being here as an Air Reserve Technician 15 00:00:36,380 --> 00:00:37,860 and a Traditional Reservist. 16 00:00:37,860 --> 00:00:41,260 It's what I remember when I was Commander of the 77th 17 00:00:41,260 --> 00:00:42,310 Air Refueling Squadron. 18 00:00:42,310 --> 00:00:44,490 One of he enduring things about our airmen 19 00:00:44,490 --> 00:00:47,550 is they are all about the mission, making the mission happen 20 00:00:47,550 --> 00:00:48,900 and taking care of each other. 21 00:00:48,900 --> 00:00:52,310 And I see that in my short time, couple days back already, 22 00:00:52,310 --> 00:00:55,080 I see that it's still very apparent here. 23 00:00:55,080 --> 00:00:56,660 - [Narrator] Arriving only a few days prior 24 00:00:56,660 --> 00:00:58,220 to the weekend festivities, 25 00:00:58,220 --> 00:01:01,650 Lanier has an understanding of what lies ahead for the 916th 26 00:01:01,650 --> 00:01:04,860 including the KC-46 Conversion Plane. 27 00:01:04,860 --> 00:01:06,450 - It's time to really start pulling on the rope 28 00:01:06,450 --> 00:01:08,290 and focusing on that conversion. 29 00:01:08,290 --> 00:01:11,890 So we lose the remainder of our KC-135s here 30 00:01:11,890 --> 00:01:13,710 in the next couple months, 31 00:01:13,710 --> 00:01:16,870 and then the schedule right now has us receiving 32 00:01:16,870 --> 00:01:20,300 our first KC-46 in the June time-frame. 33 00:01:20,300 --> 00:01:23,240 And then they start arriving pretty rapidly after that. 34 00:01:23,240 --> 00:01:26,830 That's gonna be one of our focus areas this year. 35 00:01:26,830 --> 00:01:29,830 - [Narrator] As the wing continues to move forward to 2020, 36 00:01:29,830 --> 00:01:32,860 building from our past is the direction for the future. 37 00:01:32,860 --> 00:01:34,970 Reporting from Seymour Johnson Air Force Base 38 00:01:34,970 --> 00:01:36,770 for the 916th Air Refueling Wing, 39 00:01:36,770 --> 00:01:38,772 this is Tech Sergeant Michael McGee. 40 00:01:38,772 --> 00:01:41,439 (air whooshing)