Reserve Citizen Airmen, active-duty Airmen and civilian personnel gathered to watch Lt. Col. Nathan Barnhart take command of the 93rd Bomb Squadron during a ceremony here, Jan.10.
Barnhart will command a unit responsible for training and recertifying all B-52 Stratofortress aviators in the U.S. Air Force.
Col. Aaron Bohl, 307th Operations Group commander, alluded to Barnhart’s breadth and depth of experience during his speech to the assembled crowd. He spoke of Barnhart’s career highlights before summing up the potential the new 93rd BS commander brings to the unit.
“He has definitely been putting in the work training the next generation of Airmen leaders, said Bohl.”
Barnhart served as a B-52 Stratofortress instructor and evaluator weapons systems officer in various squadrons at both Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana, and Minot Air Force Base, North Dakota.
In 2019, Lt. Col. Barnhart voluntarily re-entered active duty to teach in the Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps at Detachment 060 at the University of Southern California.
He most recently served as the director of operations, 420th Air Base Squadron, RAF Fairford, United Kingdom.
He has more than 2,700 flight hours in the T-43, DC-8 and B-52H and has deployed in support of U.S. Indo-Pacific Command’s Continuous Bomber Presence and Operation Inherent Resolve, accumulating more than 360 combat hours.
Addressing the unit for the first time, Barnhart expressed gratitude for the support he received from the 307th leadership, the Barksdale community and his family, and he emphasized his commitment to the 93rd Bomb Squadron.
“Thank you for your faith in me and giving me this opportunity,” Barnhart said. “I can only hope to attain the level of excellence Leroy did.”
Barnhart replaces Lt. Col. Millard Matthews III, who will join the 307th Operations Group.