18th Air Force commander visits Dover AFB

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Matt Davis
  • 436th Airlift Wing Public Affairs
DOVER AIR FORCE BASE, Del. --  Newly-appointed 18th Air Force Commander Lt. Gen. Giovanni Tuck and 18th Air Force Command Chief Master Sgt. Todd Petzel visited Dover Air Force Base June 5as part of a multi-base trip to meet the command’s Airmen and acclimate himself to the Team Dover’s capabilities and challenges.

Tuck assumed command of 18th AF, June 1. He outlined his mission priorities during his change of command ceremony.

"We’re going to focus on speed,” Tuck said. “We’re going to focus on safety and on the culture of safety. And we’re going to focus on success, not in the way we would describe it, but in the way our customers and the people we work with grade what we do."

Col. Ethan Griffin, 436th Airlift Wing commander, and 436th AW Command Chief Master Sgt. Sarah Sparks gave the new 18th AF leadership a tour of the base during the visit.

"We appreciated the opportunity for our senior leadership to meet Lt. Gen. Tuck, show how Team Dover aids the operational arm of AMC and tell our story,” Griffin said.. “The Eagle and Liberty Wings, along with AFMAO [Air Force Mortuary Affairs Operations] and our other key Mission Partners, bring exceptional Airmen, civilians, joint service members, and families to support our Nation's defense.

As 18th AF commander, Tuck leads Air Mobility Command's operational mission as Air Forces Transportation, the air component of U.S. Transportation Command. He is responsible for the command's worldwide operational mission of providing rapid, global mobility and sustainment for America's armed forces through airlift, aerial refueling, aeromedical evacuation, and contingency response. Additionally, Tuck also commands Task Force 294, which oversees Air Force tanker operations in support of U.S. Strategic Command.