Page 6 - Luke AFB Thunderbolt – January 2025

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Jauary 2025 2024 Year in review
6
July
56th Fighter Wing changes command
U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Mason Hargrove
U.S. Air Force Brig. Gen. Jason Rueschhoff (left), 56th Fighter Wing outgoing commander, sits with Col. David Berkland (right), 56th FW incoming commander, at the 56th FW Change of Command ceremony, July 1, 2024, at Luke Air Force Base, Arizona. The 56th FW commander oversees the operations of the base including training, safety, and wellbeing of Airmen.
August
U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Jakob Hambright
Thunderbolt http://www.luke.af.mil
Luke celebrated Freedom Fest 2024
Luke Air Force Base children enjoy a carnival ride during the 2024 Freedom Fest, July 3, 2024, at Luke AFB, Ari- zona. Freedom Fest allowed Luke AFB community members to come together and celebrate the upcoming fourth of July holiday. Food, fireworks, and fel- lowship were enjoyed along with the carnival rides.
ACC Chief Master Sergeant welcomed
Singaporean Airmen graduate leadership school
U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Katelynn Jackson
U.S. Air Force Command Chief Master Sgt. Dave Wolfe, Air Combat Command, listens to Luke Air Force Base senior noncommissioned officers from the 63rd Aircraft Maintenance Unit, July 26, 2024, at Luke AFB, Arizona. Wolfe toured the world’s premier fighter wing to gain insight on their mission, on how the world’s greatest fighter pilots and combat-ready Airmen are trained,
and sparked dialogue on developing Airmen for the era of Great Power Competition. Wolfe received briefings on range management and the Luke 2035 plan, which shows the planned evolution of the base, including an initiative called Agile Panther, a strategy that will double F-35A Lightning II pilot production across the entire F-35 Formal Training Unit enterprise by 2028, reducing the gap between requirements and production while maintaining quality.
Euro-NATO grads reunited
U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Jakob Hambright
U.S. Air Force Col. David Berkland (right), 56th Fight- er Wing commander, poses with Ryan Blake (middle), Lockheed Martin pilot, and Royal Danish Air Force Maj. Peter Borre (left), 308th Fighter Squadron stu- dent pilot, in front of an U.S. Air Force F-35A Lighting II after a training sortie, Aug. 29, 2024, at Luke Air Force Base, Arizona. Berkland, Blake, and Borre all attended the Euro-NATO Joint Jet Pilot Training Pro- gram together at Sheppard AFB, Texas, before em- barking in their respective careers. Reuniting years after pilot training, these three pilots highlight the enduring importance of training with Allies and part- ners for future mission integration.
U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. David Busby
Republic of Singapore Air Force Military Expert 1-2 Angel Lim (fourth from left), 425th Fighter Squadron F-16 weapons load crew member, and RSAF Military Expert 1-2 Bala Krishnan Suriyah (third from right), 425th FS F-16 crew chief, pose with 425th FS leader- ship, Aug. 29, 2024, at Luke Air Force Base, Arizona. John J. Rhodes Airman Leadership School Class 24-6 is the first class to admit and graduate RSAF students in the Air Education and Training Com- mand, building trust and interoperability with foreign partners at both the 56th Fighter Wing and around the globe.
U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Katelynn Jackson
Air Force activated 13th CABS at Luke
56th Fighter Wing personnel unveil the 13th Combat Air Base Squadron guidon during the 13th CABS assumption of command ceremony, Aug. 5, 2024, at Luke Air Force Base, Arizona. In the 10 months following the Secretary of the Air Force’s announcement of the Air Task Forces as the next iteration of the Air Force’s Force Generation model in September 2023, planners across strategic, operational, and tactical levels have activated these nation- wide ATFs and CABSs.