SIOUX CITY, Iowa (Tribune News Service) — Col. Adam M. “Ace” Carlson was formally handed command of the 185th Air Refueling Wing in a ceremony Sunday afternoon.

Carlson, 43, takes over for the outgoing commander, Col. Sonya L. Morrison, who is departing for a new position as the Air National Guard Readiness Center Inspector General at Andrews Air Force Base.

The new commander has a long history with the base. In 1999, when he was 18, Carlson’s father, James, who himself served in the 185th, ordered the younger Carlson to the recruitment office. (The base was then the 185th Fighter Wing.)

“At that time, I wasn’t sure if my family thought I needed a little bit more discipline in my life, or if they just thought this would be a good way for me to pay for college,” Carlson recalled in his address Sunday at the wing. “But either way, that decision would shape my life in ways I could never have imagined.”

Carlson’s career is closely tied to the history of the wing over the past 25 years. In 2003, the 185th transitioned from the F-16 Fighting Falcon to the KC-135 Stratotanker, and became an Air Refueling Wing. Carlson got acquainted with the KC-135 early on, and completed his pilot training for the aircraft in 2005.

Now he faces the deferred challenges that came with the KC-135.

When the 185th transitioned to the KC-135, the Pentagon promised the wing would get the infrastructure needed to support the extremely heavy aircraft, which functions somewhat like a flying gas station, re-fueling military aircraft in mid-air. To date those infrastructure upgrades have never happened.

The tenure of Morrison, the first female commander at the 185th, was dogged by persistent concern over the long-term viability of the wing — problems she had little ability to influence in her role. Runway work completed in 2022 will extend the lifespan of the runway to 2027, after which the runway may become unusable and the base itself could face closure.

The 185th is allowed to operate on a day-to-day basis only because of a Federal Aviation Administration waiver; the FAA is expected to end the waiver in 2027, around the same time as the extended lifespan of the runway reaches its sunset.

Due to the state of the wing’s infrastructure, the KC-135s have not been able to take off with a full load of fuel from Sioux City, limiting the effectiveness of the 185th as a fighting unit.

Carlson now inherits that situation, the outcome of which lies in the hands of lawmakers, the White House and the Pentagon. Morrison expressed confidence in him, describing Carlson as “a very capable, visionary leader.”

Carlson dubbed his vision for the 185th “Ready Today, Innovative for Tomorrow,” with three pillars: “People, Readiness and Innovation.”

“The challenges of tomorrow demand that we think creatively today,” Carlson said in his speech.

In press remarks before the ceremony Sunday, Morrison stressed that the men and women of the 185th serve nobly; the infrastructure may be substandard, but the airmen are top-notch.

“Honestly, the long-term viability — it’s never been been in question with what the airmen do,” she said. “The airmen are amazing.”

“At some point soon, I am hopeful that we will see infrastructure for the runway, the ramp and — I know we have a lot of construction projects,” she added. “And this isn’t new. The National Guard, as a whole, is beginning to fall behind on infrastructure.”

© 2025 Sioux City Journal, Iowa.

Visit www.siouxcityjournal.com.

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.