The U.S. Air Forces in Europe honor guard marches in during the Third Air Force change-of-command ceremony at Ramstein Air Base, Germany, on Friday, Oct. 21, 2016. Lt. Gen. Richard Clark assumed command from Lt. Gen. Timothy Ray. (Michael B. Keller/Stars and Stripes)
The U.S. Air Forces in Europe honor guard marches in during the Third Air Force change-of-command ceremony at Ramstein Air Base, Germany, on Friday, Oct. 21, 2016. Lt. Gen. Richard Clark assumed command from Lt. Gen. Timothy Ray. (Michael B. Keller/Stars and Stripes)
A formation and attendees salute during the Third Air Force change-of-command ceremony at Ramstein Air Base, Germany, on Friday, Oct. 21, 2016. Lt. Gen. Clark assumed command of the Third Air Force at the ceremony. (Michael B. Keller/Stars and Stripes)
Gen. Tod Wolters, U.S. Air Forces in Europe and Africa commander, speaks during the Third Air Force change-of-command ceremony at Ramstein Air Base, Germany, on Friday, Oct. 21, 2016. (Michael B. Keller/Stars and Stripes)
Lt. Gen. Timothy Ray, outgoing Third Air Force commander, speaks during the unit's change-of-command ceremony at Ramstein Air Base, Germany, on Friday, Oct. 21, 2016. (Michael B. Keller/Stars and Stripes)
Lt. Gen. Timothy Ray, outgoing Third Air Force commander, relinquishes command during the Third Air Force change-of-command ceremony at Ramstein Air Base, Germany, on Friday, Oct. 21, 2016. (Michael B. Keller/Stars and Stripes)
Lt. Gen. Richard Clark assumes command of the Third Air Force during the unit's change-of-command ceremony at Ramstein Air Base, Germany, on Friday, Oct. 21, 2016. (Michael B. Keller/Stars and Stripes)
Lt. Gen. Richard Clark, center, shakes hands with Gen. Tod Wolters, U.S. Air Forces in Europe and Africa commander, after assuming command of the Third Air Force at Ramstein Air Base, Germany, on Friday, Oct. 21, 2016. (Michael B. Keller/Stars and Stripes)
Lt. Gen. Richard Clark, Third Air Force commander, receives his first salute as commander during the unit's change-of-command ceremony at Ramstein Air Base, Germany, on Friday, Oct. 21, 2016. (Michael B. Keller/Stars and Stripes)
Lt. Gen. Richard Clark, Third Air Force commander, speaks during the unit's change-of-command ceremony at Ramstein Air Base, Germany, on Friday, Oct. 21, 2016. (Michael B. Keller/Stars and Stripes)
RAMSTEIN AIR BASE, Germany — Lt. Gen. Richard M. Clark, a B-1 Lancer pilot, took charge Friday of the command that oversees Air Force contingency and wartime operations in Europe and Africa.
Leadership of Third Air Force and 17th Expeditionary Air Force was passed to Clark, who succeeded Lt. Gen. Timothy M. Ray at a change-of-command ceremony in a base aircraft hangar.
Clark comes to Germany by way of Barksdale Air Force Base, La., where he oversaw about 20,000 airmen and the Air Force’s bomber fleet as the commander of Eighth Air Force. He also was the joint functional component commander for Global Strike, which plans and executes strike operations for U.S. Strategic Command.
His new boss, Gen. Tod D. Wolters, commander of U.S. Air Forces in Europe — Air Forces Africa, called Clark, a friend of his for 34 years, among the best in his field.
Clark “is widely regarded as the finest bomber pilot and tactician in our United States Air Force,” he said.
“You have dominated in all of your previous commands,” Wolters said. “You’ve done so because you’ve led the Clark way. It is: ‘Follow me,’ out front leadership.”
Clark has accrued about 4,200 flight hours, primarily in the B-1, according to his official biography. He graduated from the U.S. Air Force Academy in 1986. He served in Iraq from 2008-2009 as director of the Joint Interagency Task Force-Iraq, and for two years as senior defense officer and defense attache in Cairo, Egypt.
Ray led Third Air Force for just over 14 months. Wolters said the command achieved much during Ray’s short tenure. That included countering the Islamic State group in the Mediterranean, Europe, Africa and the Middle East; building up Incirlik Air Base in Turkey to support Operation Inherent Resolve, and continuing “exhaustive” efforts in Libya.
Ray likely will face similar challenges in his new job. He’s moving down the road to U.S. European Command in Stuttgart, where he’ll work under Army Gen. Curtis M. Scaparotti as the command’s deputy commander.
“It is a complicated assignment in a complex environment and it takes our nation’s absolute best and that’s exactly what you are,” Wolters said.
Clark hasn’t been assigned to Europe before, according to his biography, but he has roots in Germany.
“It’s kind of like a homecoming for me,” he said, describing how as “a newborn son of an Army corporal” born during the Cold War he spent his first year in Frankfurt.
“It was an important place and important time,” he said, extending his appreciation to the German couple, sitting with his family in the audience, who looked after him while he was a baby.
Third Air Force covers an area of operations Clark described as “an enormous, a diverse, a complex and volatile neighborhood,” one that covers 104 countries, 22 million square miles and well over 1,000 languages.
No U.S. bombers are based in Europe. But the aircraft have been deployed to the Continent for training in the wake of Russia’s 2014 incursion into Ukraine and continuing tensions in the region.
