Photo By Senior Airman Jessica Sanchez-Chen | U.S. Air Force Major Jennifer Young, 9 Force Support Squadron commander, left, shakes...... read more read more
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Beale Air Force Base, Calif. –On Aug. 1, 2025, Beale welcomed its newest class of honorary commanders. The program, which matches unit commanders with civic leaders in the surrounding community, has a long history. However, the close connection between Beale and its Northern Californian community has been crucial since Beale’s earliest days, and many of the roads bear the names of the local leaders who fought to establish the installation.
These community partnerships continue to play important roles as Beale evolves. With this newest class of honorary commanders, Beale stands at the beginning of an important mission transition. With Beale at the forefront of a technological shift, we thank the community partners for helping usher in this new age for the base.
“This is not a mandatory program in the Air Force. This is totally, and in every way, voluntary. It’s something that we as uniformed personnel want to do,” said Col. Keagan McLeese 9th Reconnaissance Wing (RW) and Beale Air Force Base installation commander. “It’s something that I really hold dear to my heart.”
The honorary commander program is an important tool for the Wing to form deep, lasting connections with the community outside the installation gate. These benefits include increasing public awareness of the unique mission set and programs at Beale including those of tenant units like the Space Force’s 7 Space Warning Squadron, the 940th Air Refueling Wing and the 195th California National Guard.
The connections created through the honorary commanders strengthen the support network for Airmen and Guardians stationed here. “I think of myself as a community cheerleader. To get people involved, to get people aware, to get support,” said Julie Hansen. Hansen is the honorary commander to Col. Ryan Typolt, 9th RW deputy commander. As part of Team Beale, Hansen remarked that she was willing to contribute, “however the base wants to use me as a connector in the community.”
For the uniformed commanders, the bond forged on this day will likely extend beyond their own tenure at Beale. With most commanders rotating to another installation every two years, continuity is aided by the honorary commanders.
Col. Keagan McLeese said during his remarks at the event, “You’re going to have a graduation ceremony, absent of me, with a new commander two years from now … And I tell you, if you do this right, uniformed commanders, and if you do this right, honorary commanders, you’re going to have a bond that lasts well beyond the program.”
While nearly half the faces may change in two years, Beale commanders value the program’s ability to develop a stable base with strong community ties . Programs like these allow Airmen and Guardians to come to Beale, for however long they are stationed here, and be able to call it home.
| Date Taken: | 08.05.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 08.05.2025 17:58 |
| Story ID: | 544850 |
| Location: | BEALE AIR FORCE BASE, CALIFORNIA, US |
| Web Views: | 174 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Building Bridges: Team Beale welcomes Honorary Commanders, Class of 2025, by Charles Borsos, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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