U.S. Air Force Col. Jens Lyndrup took the reins of the 515th Air Mobility Operations Wing from outgoing commander Col. Kyle Benwitz during a change of command ceremony at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii, June 18, 2024.
The transfer of command is physically represented by the passing of the command flag, a tangible symbol of the unit, from Benwitz to Lyndrup.
Coming from an AMOW oriented background, Lyndrup commanded the 721st Air Mobility Operations Group in addition to the 660th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, and he served in several headquarters U.S. Air Force and joint staff positions.
“The 515th AMOW is the critical path to the United States transportation command’s ability to support the Indo-Pacific command,” said Lyndrup. “This mission of the Air mobility command serves as the joint maneuver force every day to surge, sustain and support joint transportation requirements accelerating rapid global mobility across our field. Chief and I are excited to join you in our mission and to lead with you and serve you on our Air Force Journey. Let’s Go!”
Maj. Gen. John Klein, Expeditionary Center commander, presided over the ceremony and introduced Lyndrup to the unit.
“Col. Lyndrup is absolutely the right leader to write the next great chapter of this high caliber team. There is a lot of good work yet to be done in the field of great power competition and I’m certain that the Indo-Pacific command will be at the center of what is to come,” Klein said.