Col. Kathryn Gaetke takes command of the 8th Fighter Wing at Kunsan Air Base, South Korea, May 30, 2025. (Trevares Johnson/ Stars and Stripes)
KUNSAN AIR BASE, South Korea — In a ceremony marked by a touch of déjà vu, Col. Kathryn Gaetke assumed command on Friday of the 8th Fighter Wing, a unit once led by her husband.
The career F-16 Fighting Falcon pilot took over for Col. Peter Kasarskis during a change-of-command ceremony attended by some 150 service members at this remote Air Force base roughly 100 miles southwest of Seoul.
It is the second time Gaetke has taken a leadership role previously held by her husband, Col. Matthew Gaetke, also an F-16 pilot.
In 2023, she succeeded him as head of the 51st Operations Group at Osan Air Base, about 75 miles north of Kunsan. The couple, married for 23 years, have built parallel military careers — each marked by steady progression and high-profile command assignments.
Matthew Gaetke led the 8th Fighter Wing from November 2023 to June 2024, before handing the reins to Kasarskis and moving on to serve as chief of operations for U.S. Forces Korea at Camp Humphreys. The sprawling complex about 40 miles south of Seoul is the largest American base overseas.
Kasarskis, who briefly bridged the gap between the Gaetkes’ tenure, is departing for Langley Air Force Base in Virginia, where he will serve as inspector general within the Inspections Directorate of Air Combat Command. His reassignment was confirmed in an email earlier this week from Capt. Alvin Nielson, a spokesman for the wing.
At Kunsan, as is typical, the rotation of senior personnel coincides with the summer months. Most airmen posted here serve one-year unaccompanied tours, a vestige of the region’s high-alert military posture.
Outgoing 8th Fighter Wing commander Col. Peter Kasarskis addresses airmen during his change-of-command ceremony at Kunsan Air Base, South Korea, May 30, 2025. (Trevares Johnson/Stars and Stripes)
The command transition comes amid broader structural changes within the Air Force’s footprint in South Korea. Much of the 8th Fighter Wing’s aircraft and personnel are being reassigned to the 7th Air Force, headquartered at Osan, as part of a reorganization designed to form a second super squadron of 31 F-16 fighters in the country. The shift is intended to increase the number of sorties flown while mitigating logistical strain.
About 1,000 airmen have already moved from Kunsan to Osan, according to the Air Force. The realignment is expected to be completed by October.
In her speech on Friday, Kathryn Gaetke acknowledged the scale of the changes underway but emphasized that the 8th Fighter Wing’s core mission — maintaining combat readiness on the peninsula — would remain constant.
“These next few months will bring massive changes that will affect every part of this wing,” she said. “And while the aircraft assigned and the force structure have changed over time and will change dramatically this summer, that mission won’t change.”
Lt. Gen. David Iverson, commander of the 7th Air Force and deputy commander of USFK, also spoke at the ceremony. He praised the wing’s adaptability and noted recent quality-of-life improvements on base, including a $500,000 renovation of the dormitories.
“I’m immensely proud of your accomplishments during this decade’s most transformative year … while preserving combat readiness,” he said.
Stars and Stripes reporter Trevares Johnson contributed to this report.
