Ceiba, Puerto Rico -- U.S. Air Force Col. William J. Watkins took command of the 346th Air Expeditionary Wing during a change of command ceremony March 15, 2026, at Ceiba, Puerto Rico.
Maj. Gen. David A. Mineau, Air Forces Southern commander, presided over the change of command.
“Today is a truly historic day. Col. Donberg and his 13th Air Task Force team established the 346th Air Expeditionary Wing last fall to generate U.S. combat airpower across the Caribbean in support of Operations Southern Spear and Absolute Resolve, said Mineau. “I am impressed and proud of the work Col. Donberg and the 346th AEW accomplished over the last eight months to make our homeland and hemisphere a safer place.”
During the peak of operations for Absolute Resolve, the 346th AEW was responsible for over 2,000 personnel running six operating locations to support over a dozen different Air Force, Marine, Navy and Special Operations flying units.
“Col. Watkins and the 22nd Air Task Force take over the 346th AEW during a period of transition, where the AEW will continue to generate combat air power in the Caribbean, and stand up a new U.S. Air Force mission generation force element in Central America to conduct counter-narco terrorist operations in the Eastern Pacific. With the recent formation of the America’s Counter Cartel Coalition, Col. Watkins is the combat-tested Airman we need to lead the 346th AEW in support of U.S. Southern Command’s evolving operations,” concluded Mineau.
The ceremony was the first change of command for the 346th Air Expeditionary Wing and the U.S. Air Force’s first active duty wing change of command in Puerto Rico since Ramey Air Force Base’s closure in 1973.
Col. Benjamin A. Donberg relinquished command after serving for 8 months as the commander of the 346th AEW in Puerto Rico from August 2025 to March 2026. Under Donberg’s leadership, the 346th AEW provided support to Operation Southern Spear and furthered U.S. Southern Command’s objectives throughout the area of responsibility.
The ceremony symbolized the formal transfer of authority and responsibility for leading the mission of and maintaining readiness for the 346th AEW from Donberg to Watkins.
Watkins is a master academic instructor, accumulating more than 2,100 flying hours and 2,000 contact hours of classroom instruction and leading missions during operations Enduring Freedom and Inherent Resolve. Outside of his current deployment, Watkins is the commander of the 22nd Air Task Force at Fairchild Air Force Base, Washington.
Prior to the 22nd ATF, Watkins was the director for the Commander’s Professional Development School, Ira C. Eaker Center, at Maxwell AFB, Alabama. There he oversaw the execution of the Dept. of the Air Force’s-mandated wing, deputy wing, group commander, and squadron commander pre-command training for over 2,300 students per year.
Watkins plans to build on the work of Donberg, continuing to execute missions with precision and determination in support of Operation Southern Spear, ensuring homeland defense, projecting power and maintaining readiness within the forces of the 346th AEW for Air Forces Southern and U.S. Southern Command.
“Chief Lizarraga and I are proud to lead this team known for its professionalism, dedication, excellence, and commitment to protect the homeland, our nation’s top priority,” said Watkins.
“The work you do every day—flying, fixing, operating, sustaining, and defending—matters deeply to our nation and to the joint fight. Chief and I are excited about what lies ahead for this wing. Together we will continue to build a disciplined, ready, and unbreakable team capable of meeting any challenge placed before us."