Col. Dustin Richards will assume command of the 88th Air Base Wing at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base next week in the Modern Flight Gallery of the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force.
Lt. Gen. Donna Shipton, commander of the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, will preside over the ceremony, which is scheduled for 10 a.m. Tuesday.
Richards will command one of the biggest air base wings in the Air Force, with more than 5,000 military, civilian, and contractor employees.
The wing serves and supports one of the biggest bases Air Force, a base home to a major acquisition center, research and development laboratories and more. The base has more than 35,000 employees, making it the largest single-site employer in the state of Ohio.
Prior to this assignment, Richards was the senior military assistant to the assistant secretary of the Air Force (Energy, Installations, and Environment).
The former commander of the 88th Air Base Wing, Col Christopher Meeker, was relieved of command in December.
No reason for the move was offered beyond standard military language attributing the decision to a loss of confidence in Meeker’s ability to lead.
Since then, Meeker has been working as a special assistant to Shipton, who assumed command of Air Force Life Cycle Management Center at Wright-Patterson in January.
It was Shipton who decided to remove Meeker.
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