UNO grad takes helm of 9th AF

SHAW AFB, S.C. - Major General Chad P. Franks took command of Ninth Air Force during a change of command ceremony June 13 at Shaw AFB. “General Franks is at the pinnacle of experience in the HH-60 and (combat search and rescue) world,” said guest speaker Gen. Mike Holmes, Air Combat Command commander. “(H)e’s been a leader at every level … (and) combined with his recent assignment (as deputy commander for Operations and Intelligence) has set him up for success here as the Ninth Air Force commander,” he continued. Franks is a graduate of the University of New Orleans’ AFROTC program and comes to South Carolina from duty as deputy commander for Operations and Intelligence at Combined Joint Task Force-Operation Inherent Resolve and the commander of 9th Air Expeditionary Task Force-Levant in Camp Arifjan in Kuwait. (Source: Ninth Air Force 06/15/19) Gulf Coast Note: Two Gulf Coast commands are units of the Ninth Air Force. The 823d RED HORSE Squadron (Rapid Engineer Deployable Heavy Operational Repair Squadron Engineer) at Hurlburt Field, Fla., It is one of only four active-duty units of its kind in the AF. The 325th Fighter Wing's primary mission at Tyndall AFB, Fla., is to train and project unrivaled combat power for F-22 Raptor pilots and maintenance personnel to support the combat Air Forces. Training for F-22 pilots is performed in the 43rd Fighter Squadron.