U.S. Air Force Col. Travis H. Stephens assumed command of the 144th Fighter Wing, Sunday, Aug. 2, 2026 at the Fresno Air National Guard Base, during a change of command ceremony. Maj. Gen. Steven Butow, California Air National Guard commander, presided over the ceremony.
Col. Joel E. Pauls, the outgoing commander, served two years as the 144th Fighter Wing commander and is officially retiring from military service.
During the ceremony, Maj. Gen. Butow, reflected on Col. Pauls's leadership during his tenure as wing commander.
"Col. Pauls improved readiness by focusing on sortie production through significant internal process improvements and, as such, the 144th Fighter Wing has been the lead F-15 Wing in average sortie production rate since March of 2025." said Butow.
After Butow's remarks, Pauls delivered his final words to the Wing, touching on what Butow had mentioned.
"We make the choice to do difficult things here at home. We do this because impossible things are expected of our Airmen when they are deployed, and we owe it to them to make sure they are ready."
Col. Travis H. Stephens, originally from California, is a command pilot with 2,940 hours in the F-15E Strike Eagle, who has supported operations IRAQI FREEDOM, ENDURING FREEDOM, and INHERENT RESOLVE. With more than 20 years of service spanning seven different military installations, Stephens is honored to now be the commander of the 144th Fighter Wing.
In his closing remarks to the Wing he said, "The Air Force has given me the opportunity to travel and live all over the world, but today I'm coming home."