Photo By Tech. Sgt. Johnisa Jackson | The Virginia Air National Guard’s 192nd Wing holds a change of command ceremony,...... read more read more
JOINT BASE LANGLEY-EUSTIS, Va. -- The 192nd Wing, Virginia Air National Guard, welcomed Col. Andrew M. Weidner as the new wing commander Sept. 7, 2025, at Joint Base Langley-Eustis in Hampton, Virginia.
Brig. Gen. Catherine M. Jumper, Virginia Air National Guard commander at the time, presided over the change of command ceremony, where Col. Brock E. Lange relinquished command to Weidner.
“You are surrounded by a great team, from our mission partners across JBLE to the elite, empowered and effective citizen-Airmen in the VaANG. You have a team united by service to the nation, the profession of arms and to each other,” Jumper addressed Weidner. “Over the past two years, the Airmen in the 192nd Wing have achieved remarkable accomplishments, demonstrating innovation, resilience and an unwavering commitment to the mission; I know you are already thinking about how you will build on this momentum and utilize the talents of the Airmen in the wing to tackle the complex challenges the Air Force is facing today.”
Weidner, formerly the commander of the 192nd Operations Group, joined the U.S. Air Force in 2003 as a pilot. In 2015, he joined the VaANG as a dual-status Guardsman and federal technician. While in the VaANG, he served as assistant director of operations and transitioned to Active Guard Reserve, or AGR, in 2016. He has also served as director of operations, deployed in support of Operation Inherent Resolve, led multiple Operation Noble Eagle sorties and participated in many joint and multinational exercises.
As the new wing commander, Weidner will oversee the readiness of more than 1,400 Airmen in executing multiple federal and state missions, including F-22 Raptor operations and maintenance, intelligence, cyberspace operations, civil engineering, security forces, and the Chemical, Biological, Radiation, Nuclear and Explosive Response Force Package, or CERFP.
For the first time, Weidner addressed the wing as commander and thanked Lange for his strategic vision. “Col. Lange stood up a couple of years ago and gave a vision for us to enact to meet our mission objectives – that we were going to be truly an elite, empowered and effective team...I'm going to let you know that that is just the beginning.”
“As you are a part of a team of the capacity that you're on, you have to be able to sustain it. I charge you to sustain being that elite team,” Weidner told the wing. “On any day, we could be called for domestic operations to support hurricanes. We know we have rotational mobilizations, and that just takes us to April of next year. So it's never going to end. But your willingness and ability to come in and be the Airmen that you are is what makes this the most effective wing I have been a part of. So I thank you very, very much. And, we are the VaANG!”
During the ceremony, Jumper awarded Lange the Legion of Merit for his focused vision and exemplary leadership.
“From the day you took command, you did not waste a minute getting started,” Jumper said. “You immediately published a mission-focused vision, intent and priorities memo pushing the wing to become an elite, cohesive fighting unit, and you left no Airman behind.”
Jumper praised the accomplishments under Lange’s leadership. While he was commander, the wing executed Operation Maverick’s Armistice, a multi-unit, multi-state Air National Guard agile combat readiness exercise. The wing also exceeded recruitment goals, addressed structural issues, secured funding for AGR positions and realigned the 192nd Mission Support Group to support combat operations.
Lange addressed the wing one last time as commander before passing the reins to Weidner.
"I couldn't be prouder of what we've accomplished together these last two years, and other than dad and husband, this is the best job I've ever had," Lange said. "Thank you for serving our nation and this community. But more importantly, thank you for serving each other. That's why we are here, and that is our true advantage over our adversary today. This bond, this family we’re part of, is what makes us great, and I am certain it scares the hell out of our adversaries. As I step off the stage today, I want you to remember two things—first, your oath to support and defend the Constitution. And second, we are the commonwealth’s citizen Airmen. You know the rest."
| Date Taken: | 09.17.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 09.29.2025 15:37 |
| Story ID: | 549601 |
| Location: | JOINT BASE LANGLEY-EUSTIS, VIRGINIA, US |
| Web Views: | 34 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Weidner takes command of the 192nd Wing, by 2nd Lt. Delmy Hernandez, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
No keywords found.
