TINKER AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. The 963rd Airborne Air Control Squadron closed one chapter and began another on June 15, as Lt. Col. Christy M. Ashby relinquished command to Lt. Col. Christopher M. Costello during a ceremony honoring the unit's recent combat accomplishments, sacrifices, and enduring legacy.
The change of command brought together commanders, chiefs, first sergeants, directors of operations, family members, friends, and airmen from across the 552nd Air Control Wing to recognize Ashby's tenure and welcome Costello as commander of the world-famous Blue Knights.
Col. James J. Capra, commander of the 552nd Operations Group, presided over the ceremony. Capra is responsible for commanding E-3G aircrew, support personnel, and aircraft for operations worldwide, and for leading combat training, development, tactics, plans, and intelligence functions for four operations squadrons and an operations support squadron.
Capra praised Ashby and the Blue Knights for leading the squadron through one of the most demanding periods in its history.
"The legacy you've built over the past few years is one of absolute valor," Capra said. "The nation called, and you executed."
Under Ashby's command, the 963rd AACS supported missions across multiple combatant commands, including Operation Southern Spear, where crews flew long-duration missions throughout the Southern Caribbean in support of counter-drug and counter-narcoterrorism efforts. The squadron later pivoted rapidly to U.S. Central Command, deploying early and integrating with airmen from multiple units to form a larger expeditionary airborne air control team.
Ashby, who entered the Air Force in May 2007 through ROTC at Virginia Tech, served as commander of the 963rd AACS after previously serving as director of operations for the 965th AACS. A master air battle manager with more than 2,000 flying hours, she led a squadron responsible for worldwide employment of personnel and E-3G aircraft while supporting contingency plans for combatant commanders, the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and other operational taskings.
During the ceremony, Ashby received the Meritorious Service Medal for her leadership from July 1, 2024, to June 15, 2026. The citation credited her with directing the first E-3G mission in support of a presidential visit to South America during the G20, providing 12 hours of command-and-control coverage. It also recognized her leadership during a demanding certification period that included more than 1,000 requirements, six exercises, two higher headquarters inspections, and one wing readiness inspection.
The citation also noted her role in directing the rapid redeployment of 414 members to support operations in CENTCOM and ensuring around-the-clock battle management coverage in defense of U.S. aircraft against enemy air threats.
For Ashby, the day was about more than awards, orders, and ceremony. It was about the airmen who carried out the mission when conditions were at their worst.
"The men and women of the Blue Knights are top-notch professionals and combat-tested warriors who have met every challenge thrown their way," Ashby said.
During her farewell remarks, Ashby reflected on a deployment cycle that began with exercises, alert requirements, and readiness taskings, then quickly shifted into real-world operations. After completing a demanding stretch of training and preparation, the squadron learned it would deploy ahead of schedule.
In what Ashby called "Blue Knight fashion," airmen packed their bags and went to work.
Deployments are never easy, she said, but the mission took on special meaning when members of the 552nd Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, Network Operations Squadron, Logistics Readiness Squadron, Air Control Networks Squadron, Operations Support Squadron, and other supporting units came together as one team.
The squadron first supported Operation Southern Spear, flying 14-hour missions over the Southern Caribbean and controlling multiple aircraft in support of operations to disrupt drug trafficking and narcoterrorism. While the squadron practiced and prepared for the next major operation, crews continued answering the call.
On January 3, 2026, Ashby said, the 963rd launched in support of Operation Absolute Resolve. The crew was in place and on time, controlling more than 150 aircraft during a high-value mission conducted with what Ashby described as surgical precision. Even after the crew had to shut down an engine, they remained on station and used whatever they had available, including ice packs from lunch boxes, to keep equipment cool and the mission going.
It was a glimpse of what the squadron would carry with it into the Middle East.
The 963rd rapidly redeployed to Saudi Arabia, growing to 414 personnel with members from other E-3 squadrons and support teams. As soon as the squadron landed, the work began.
"This was unlike any E-3 deployment previously," Ashby said. "There is no comparison."
Instead of routine deployment briefings, airmen were briefed on alarm conditions, defensive measures, and the location of the nearest bunkers. Maintenance teams and flight deck crews worked together on aircraft dispersal plans and condensed checklists, knowing time would be limited if attacks began.
Ashby told her airmen that the time would come when she would ask them to do hard things during scary moments.
That time came on February 20.
As Operation Epic Fury began, the squadron faced real-world alarm conditions. Aircraft were dispersed. Crews moved through repeated alarms. Maintenance teams worked to launch aircraft while missiles and drones threatened the base.
Ashby described convoys of vans and pickup trucks loaded with airmen moving across the desert to safe areas, then returning crews, maintainers, and security forces to the fight because the mission had to continue.
"Not flying was not an option," Ashby said.
Over the next 39 days, the Blue Knights settled into a combat rhythm of flying twice a day, every day, while facing repeated alarms and attacks. Ashby said she saw airmen perform acts of courage daily. Maintainers ran back to the aircraft during alarms to protect systems and preserve the aircraft. Crews found ways to stay airborne longer and provide more time on station. Medical teams cared for airmen after impacts. Support personnel kept the mission moving even when conditions made normal operations impossible.
Capra said Ashby's leadership and the squadron's performance would not be forgotten.
"You held the line," Capra said. "You strapped back in."
The squadron faced more than 250 threats launched toward the base during the 39 days before the cease-fire, resulting in 91 alarms and 33 impacts inside the wire.
March 27, Ashby said, is a date the squadron will never forget.
Even then, the next crew launched only hours later.
"The men and women of the 963rd are true heroes," Ashby said. "They just do not think of themselves that way."
Ashby said the experience bonded the squadron in a way few people will fully understand and reinforced the importance of airborne command and control in future conflict.
Following her remarks, Ashby received her final salute as commander. The squadron then moved into the symbolic portion of the ceremony, where the guidon passed from Ashby to Costello. By special order, Ashby relinquished command, and Costello assumed command of the 963rd AACS, effective June 15.
Costello arrived at the Blue Knights after serving as director of operations for the 552nd Operations Support Squadron, where he led worldwide operational support and scheduling execution for E-3 flight operations. His background includes work in current operations, contingency plans, tactics, intelligence, communications security, aircrew training, and deployments for the E-3G weapon system.
Commissioned in September 2009, Costello graduated from combat systems officer training at Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida, in 2011. He went on to serve in multiple roles, including electronic warfare officer, tactical coordinator, instructor, and evaluator. He also served as an instructor at the U.S. Air Force Weapons School at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada.
During his first address as commander, Costello thanked the airmen, families, and leaders who made the ceremony possible, then turned first to his wife, Amanda.
"You are my rock, and you give me confidence and strength," Costello said. "I would not have been able to do any of this without you."
He also thanked Ashby for her leadership and example, saying she had shown what it looked like to lead the squadron through difficult and historic moments.
Costello then turned his focus to the Blue Knights, a squadron he said had become even more world famous after nearly nine months deployed across multiple combatant commands.
"I could not be more proud to take command of such a great group of men and women," Costello said.
As the squadron resets from deployment, Costello said the focus will be on recovery, rebuilding, and readiness.
"We are going to come back, regroup, rebuild, and be ready to provide unmatched battle management command and control anywhere, anytime," Costello said. "I look forward to leading you into the next chapter and adding more to the legacy of the 963rd."
Following the ceremony, Costello received his first salute as commander. In keeping with Air Force tradition, his name was then placed on the squadron commander's E-3 aircraft, tail number 76-1604, by Senior Airman Tyler Freeze.
For the Blue Knights, the ceremony was more than a formal transfer of authority. It was a moment to honor what the squadron endured, recognize the airmen who carried the mission through combat, and look toward the future with a new commander at the helm.
Ashby's next assignment will take her to Headquarters Air Force at the Pentagon in Washington, D.C., while Costello will lead the 963rd AACS into its next chapter.
"It was my honor and privilege to be the 963rd AACS commander," Ashby said. "God bless the men and women of this squadron, those still deployed, and God bless the United States of America."