Lt. Gen. Clark Quinn, commander of Air Education and Training Command, and Chief Master Sgt. Chad Bickley, AETC command chief, visited Altus Air Force Base Feb. 18–19, marking Quinn’s first visit as the commander of AETC.
During the two-day visit, Quinn and Bickley met with Airmen, officers and senior enlisted leaders to see how the 97th Air Mobility Wing develops and supports the next generation of C-17 Globemaster III, KC-135 Stratotanker and KC-46 Pegasus aircrews.
"The mission at Altus Air Force Base is pivotal to our national defense," Quinn said. "Victory in a future fight depends on the mobility airpower forged here, and I am here to see firsthand how our Airmen are preparing to deliver that victory."
Quinn and Bickley received the wing’s mission brief and visited key organizations across the installation, including the 58th Airlift Squadron, 97th Maintenance Group and 97th Mission Support Group. At each stop, they spoke with Airmen, observed day-to-day operations and continued recognizing individuals making significant contributions to the mission.
The visit gave many opportunities for Airmen and officers from across the wing to have open, two-way dialogue. The two also visited with aircrew and received a hands-on immersion of the KC-135 and KC-46 tanker aircraft before getting into a C-17 simulator.
“The strength of AETC starts with Airmen who take ownership of their craft and hold themselves and each other to high standards,” Bickley said. “The Airmen and civilian employees at Altus understand that every sortie launched, every aircraft fixed and every student trained directly shapes tomorrow’s Air Force.”
On Feb. 19, Quinn and Bickley hosted a base-wide all call, addressing hundreds of Airmen and civilians from across the wing. He outlined AETC priorities, discussed the future of Air Force training and thanked the workforce for its continued commitment.
“We may at times feel like we are not the tip of the spear here in AETC,” said Quinn. “But we don’t have the world’s greatest Air Force unless we have the world’s greatest AETC, and that is each and every one of you.”
Falling in line with the Department of War’s objective of restoring peace through strength, Col. Richard Kind, 97th Air Mobility Wing commander, amended the wing’s mission, vision and priorities in the fall of 2025. The new mission, “to develop the decisive mobility force of the future,” directly coincides with AETC’s vision of developing Airmen with the competencies to win the high-end competition.
“Having Gen. Quinn and Chief Bickley choose Altus for their first base visit as a command team sends a clear signal about the importance of this wing,” said Kind. “Our Airmen need to understand that our mission of developing the decisive mobility force of the future is not just a slogan — it is a responsibility, and it starts right here.”
The visit concluded with Quinn boarding and piloting a C-17 from Altus to Vance Air Force Base. A career fighter pilot with more than 3,000 flying hours, Quinn took the controls of the Air Force’s premier airlifter, showing his commitment to staying personally connected to the mission and the Airmen who execute it.