JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska -- Air Force Col. Brian Duffy became the Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson and 673d Air Base Wing commander in a change-of-command ceremony, June 1, at Hangar 5.
He comes to JBER from Kadena Air Base, where he served as the 18th Civil Engineer Group commander.
Duffy replaces Air Force Col. Robert Evans, who has been the commander of JBER and the 673d ABW since July 2010.
Evans will retire from the Air Force after serving 25 years and hosted his retirement ceremony the morning of the change of command ceremony.
Air Force Lt. Gen. Stephen Hoog, commander of Alaskan Command and the 11th Air Force, serving as reviewing officer for the ceremony, welcomed Duffy from "the land of the rising sun to the land of the midnight sun."
"A variety of assignments, to include two command tours as a civil engineer and the deputy director of engineering support in Force Engineer Command in Kabul, Afghanistan, have prepared him for the command challenge on which you are about to embark," Hoog said.
Hoog also commended Evans on how he has handled command of JBER and the 673d ABW.
"In an endeavor known as joint basing, Col. Evans' challenge was to merge the facilities, the support functions and, yes, even the cultures of two great services and anyone who has been around the military will tell you, this is no small feat...Thank you for a job well done," Hoog said.
Evans talked about the beginnings of the wing and how far they have come.
"This wing was born into adversity and we have faced adversity in the years since with the loss of an F-22 and the pilot Capt. (Jeff) Haney, the loss of soldiers and airmen in combat, the loss of friends, teammates and family members of suicides, tragic accidents and most recently a murder," Evans said.
Evans went on to say one learns about the character of the leaders and the people from adversity.
"What I learned was that Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, our teammates, and the men and women of the 673d Air Base Wing were up to any task," Evans said.
In his remarks, Duffy thanked everyone who was involved in putting the ceremony together. He also stated his wishes for JBER and the 673 ABW.
"I look forward to serving the many missions and people of JBER in the time to come and to continue the incredible work done by a great team here," Duffy said.
Duffy entered the Air Force in August 1989 as a graduate of the Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps and has served in 16 assignments, five overseas and 11 stateside, including his tour here as commander of JBER and the 673 ABW.
Duffy is a graduate of the Virginia Military Institute, where he received a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering. He also has a Master of Engineering from North Carolina State, is a distinguished graduate and earned a Master's Degree in Military Operational Art and Science from the Air Command and Staff College at Air University, and a Master of Science in National Security Strategy from the National War College on Fort Lesley J. McNair in Washington, D.C.