Photo By 2nd Lt. Jorrie Hart | Col. Brandon Eskam, commander of the 114th Fighter Wing, South Dakota Air National...... read more read more
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U.S. Air Force Col. Brandon “Grinch” Eskam, commander of the 114th Fighter Wing, South Dakota Air National Guard, traveled to the National Capital Region to speak with O-5 and O-6 level commanders attending the 2025 Air National Guard Commander Leadership Course.
Eskam drew from his recent experience leading the 332nd Air Expeditionary Wing during an Air Force Generation deployment to the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility. A deployment he described as “the hardest and most rewarding thing I’ve ever done.”
Now in his third year of command at the 114th Fighter Wing, Eskam emphasized that the demands of Air National Guard leadership have changed drastically.
“The likelihood of combat is up and the likelihood of you personally going is up” said Eskam. “The Air Force doesn’t have enough senior leaders like you and they’re going to continue to lean on us [the Air National Guard] to be the Deployable Combat Wings,” he told attendees.
Sharing stories from his deployment, Eskam emphasized two core responsibilities for commanders: be accountable for outcomes, not just inputs, and find a way to prevail.
Eskam spoke about the challenges of preparing his unit for back-to-back deployments without additional resources, the importance of gaining buy-in from teams facing high-consequence missions, and the value of projecting calm, confident resolve in dynamic regions.
His lessons learned ranged from defending against drones and ballistic missiles to navigating operational security in the digital age and building trust with partner nations. He tied each example back to a broader truth: leaders must model the standards they expect, inspire trust in their teams, and balance warfighting readiness with the relationship-building work of “friending and fighting, in that order.”
Eskam closed by reminding commanders that their service is unfolding in historic times.
“These are the moments they make movies about,” Eskam said. “You are people of influence in a time of high consequence. The Airmen deserve leaders who are trying to win and finding a way to prevail.”
The Commander Leadership Course, hosted at various locations in the National Capital Region, prepares Air National Guard commanders to lead effectively in garrison and deployed environments, strengthen partnerships, and uphold the warfighter ethos in moments of competition, crisis and conflict.
| Date Taken: | 08.12.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 08.12.2025 15:13 |
| Story ID: | 545435 |
| Location: | ANDREWS AIR FORCE BASE, MARYLAND, US |
| Hometown: | SIOUX FALLS, SOUTH DAKOTA, US |
| Web Views: | 139 |
| Downloads: | 2 |
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