New commander takes charge of Air Force’s 53rd Wing

EGLIN AFB — A new commander has taken over the Air Force’s 53rd Wing, which oversees testing and evaluation of all air combat weapons systems.
Col. Alexus G. Grynkewich took command from Col. David Hicks at a ceremony Thursday.
“Words can not express how excited I am to be serving with the airmen of the 53rd Wing,” Grynkewich said during the ceremony. “The mission of this wing in my opinion has really never been more important.”
The wing, one of the Air Force’s most diverse, is comprised of more than 2,500 active-duty and civilian personnel located at 23 locations across the country, including it’s headquarters at Eglin.
They are responsible for testing and evaluation of fighter, bomber and remotely controlled aircraft. They also oversee tactics development and evaluation in electronic combat, air-to-air and air-to-ground weapons, avionics and aircrew training devices.
When Hicks first came to Eglin to command the wing two years ago, he was just returning from a year in Afghanistan.
He said that he was able to see first-hand the work the 53rd Wing was responsible for when he was in the field, both in the weapons they tested and recommended for use and the ones they decided not to approve. The aircraft and weapons systems are used for Air Force missions as well is in support of ground troops.
“In all cases their decisions were spot on,” he said.
He said he had no idea, however, the scope of their work until he was with them every day.
“Nothing goes to combat – aircraft or air weapons systems – that the 53rd Wing does not touch or test,” he said. “You guys carry that with a pride and professionalism that is second to none.”
Hicks was awarded a legion of merit at the ceremony Thursday.
The citation said he provided a significant contribution to all of the Air Force’ fighter and bomber aircraft, helicopters and drones operated around the world.
That included overseeing evaluation and testing of the F-35A, the military’s newest fighter jet.
Hicks will now transfer to North American Aerospace Defense Command at Peterson Air Force Base in Colorado.
Grynkewich spent the past two years as joint operational planner at the headquarters of the U.S. European command in Stuttgart, Germany.
He made a pledge at the ceremony.
“I will put in a tireless effort to make sure you all have the ability and resources to accomplish that vital mission of making sure that our military is ready for whatever comes our way: to fight anywhere in the world, anywhere across the spectrum of conflicts, against existing threats today and against emerging threats tomorrow,” he said.
He plans to accomplish that by integrating the air, space and cyber power capabilities of the Air Force. As threats have become more complex, there will not be one single weapon or one single domain to solve problems, he said.
His priorities also include making the wing as efficient and innovative as possible in times of tight budgets and providing support for airmen, civilians and their families.
“By taking care of each other both personally and professionally we will make sure we enhance our mission accomplishment even more so than it is today,” he said.