Maj. Gen. Paul Moga, commander of the 3rd Air Force, left, hands over the unit colors to Brig. Gen. Adrienne Williams, marking the beginning of her command of the 86th Airlift Wing on May 17, 2024, at Ramstein Air Base, Germany. (Alexander Riedel/Stars and Stripes)
RAMSTEIN AIR BASE, Germany — Airmen who were around in the summer of 2021, when Ramstein supported more than 30,000 Afghan evacuees, may recognize a familiar face in the 86th Airlift Wing’s new commander.
Brig. Gen. Adrienne Williams led the 521st Air Mobility Operations Wing from 2020 to 2022, serving at the forefront of the largest noncombat airlift in history, following the collapse of the U.S.-backed government in Kabul and the Taliban’s return to power.
After two assignments at Scott Air Force Base in Illinois, first as the 18th Air Force vice commander and most recently as the Air Mobility Command inspector general, Williams is back at Ramstein.
She took command Friday of the 86th, the largest wing in U.S. Air Forces Europe – Air Forces Africa, replacing outgoing commander Brig. Gen. Otis Jones.
An Air Force Academy graduate and C-130 navigator with nearly 2,500 flight hours, Williams is the first woman to command this wing, base officials said this week.
Brig. Gen. Rosanne Bailey was the first female commander of Ramstein Air Base, when from 2004 to 2009 she led the 435th Air Base Wing, formerly the host wing at Ramstein, base officials said.
Brig. Gen. Otis C. Jones, outgoing commander of the 86th Airlift Wing, stands during the presentation of the colors before his change of command May 17, 2024, at Ramstein Air Base, Germany. Jones is a command pilot with more than 3,100 flight hours of experience. (Alexander Riedel/Stars and Stripes)
Brig. Gen. Otis Jones salutes Maj. Gen. Paul Moga upon receiving the Legion of Merit award May 17, 2024, during his official transfer of command of the 86th Airlift Wing at Ramstein Air Base, Germany. Jones served as the wing's commander since July 2022. (Alexander Riedel/Stars and Stripes)
Williams said she and her family are thrilled to be back and pledged her support to the wing’s 8,000 airmen, spread across seven groups and 30 squadrons at four installations in Germany, Spain, Belgium and Portugal.
“I trust you to take care of the mission and know that we will take care of you and your family,” she said. “Together we will move mountains.”
The 3rd Air Force commander, Maj. Gen. Paul Moga, noted that Williams had grown up “an Air Force brat,” the daughter of retired Col. Kenneth Fleming, a fighter pilot who earned a Silver Star in Vietnam.
“She has a proven record of USAFE leadership experience,” he said, referring to her two years at the 521st, when the unit coordinated flight schedules, processed passengers and supported air crews in the evacuation of refugees from Afghanistan.
Moga also thanked Jones, a classmate at the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colo., for his leadership.
Moga quipped that Jones, a basketball star who scored 2,003 points, second all-time for the Falcons, was the only reason he “voluntarily went to Clune Arena to watch a men’s basketball game.
Airmen stand in formation while listening to Brig. Gen. Adrienne Williams during her first address to the troops at Ramstein Air Base, Germany, on May 17, 2024. Williams emphasized the wing's crucial role in rapid global mobility and sustainment operations in Europe and Africa. (Alexander Riedel/Stars and Stripes)
Honor guardsmen present the colors during the 86th Airlift Wing change of command ceremony at Ramstein Air Base, Germany, on May 17, 2024. (Alexander Riedel/Stars and Stripes)
Brig. Gen. Adrienne Williams, the new commander of the 86th Airlift Wing, speaks May 17, 2024, at Ramstein Air Base, Germany. Williams returns to the base after previously commanding the 521st Air Mobility Operations Wing, where she oversaw air mobility operations across Europe, Africa and the Middle East. (Alexander Riedel/Stars and Stripes)
“Otis, it has been a real pleasure watching you grow from a leader of a couple dozen delinquent cadets on the court to becoming a coach, teacher, mentor, leader and commander to literally thousands and thousands of airmen,” Moga said.
Jones took charge of the wing less than four months after Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022. The base under Jones hosted defense chiefs and ministers from across the world for five meetings of what is known as the Ukraine Defense Contact Group.
Jones helped lead Ramstein’s humanitarian response to the February 2023 earthquake in Turkey and 86th Airlift Wing efforts to assist in Sudan and Niger, Moga said.
“It’s been an absolute honor to be a part of this world-class team,” Jones said. “We live in turbulent times, no doubt. But this only means … there are opportunities where we can make … a positive impact.”
