Lt. Col. Kenny Squires took command of the 307th Operations Support Squadron during a change of command ceremony here on Thursday.
Squires inherits a unit charged with providing the Air Force’s sole B-52 Stratofortress Formal Training Unit with a host of critical capabilities, including Aircrew Flight Equipment, intelligence operations, current operations and datalinks, combat crew communications, and management of the Claiborne Bombing and Gunnery Range.
Lt. Col. Squires earned his commission in 2004 through the Reserve Officer Training Corps at the University of Kentucky.
“I joined ROTC after 9/11, almost on a whim,” he told the gathering of family, friends, and fellow Airmen.
That pivotal moment set him on a new career trajectory.
His first operational assignment was here on active duty as a B-52 Stratofortress radar navigator. Following this assignment, he served in various roles including standardizations and evaluations liaison officer, flight scheduler and chief of training.
In 2011, Squires transitioned to the Air Force Reserve and was assigned to the 343rd Bomb Squadron, the command’s only nuclear-capable bomber unit. There, he served as an instructor radar navigator before taking on a role as a staff officer with the Air Force Global Strike Command.
He later became a flight instructor with the 93rd Bomb Squadron, the host unit for the B-52 FTU, before being selected to serve as director of operations for the 307th OSS.
In his acceptance speech, Squires addressed the Airmen of the 307th OSS directly.
“I want you to understand that this unit is the foundation of strategic airpower; it all starts here,” he said. “Before they ever slip the bonds of earth, we teach every aircrew how to use their flight equipment, how to load their radio and crypto, and what their adversary is going to try to do to kill them.”
Squires laid out a vision for the unit’s future, calling on the experience of its Airmen to drive innovation that will enable the next generation of B-52 aviators to face the rigors of a dynamic strategic environment.
“We will do things the right way every time, because lives are depending on it,” said Squires. “We’ll continue to build Citizen Airmen, Reservists that are ready and resilient when the balloon goes up.”
Lt. Col. Squires is a Master Navigator with more than 3,000 flying hours in the B-52.
| Date Taken: |
02.26.2026 |
| Date Posted: |
02.27.2026 12:16 |
| Story ID: |
559094 |
| Location: |
BARKSDALE AIR FORCE BASE, LOUISIANA, US |
| Web Views: |
24 |
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