Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Wright-Patt Commander Moving On To The Pentagon

Provided
/
United States Air Force
Col. John Devillier (left) is departing for the Pentagon. He'll be replaced by Col. Bradley McDonald (right).

Wright-Patterson is getting a new leader. 88th Air Base Wing commander Col. John Devillier is moving on to a position at the Pentagon.

In June he becomes the new Special Assistant to the Director of the Joint Chiefs of Staff for General Officer Matters.

In a statement, Devillier says, "Being a commander is the best job in the Air Force and commanding a wing is the best of the best. I’ve been challenged from day one in this position and loved every minute of it. My family and I could not have asked for a better location than the Miami Valley! I know my new position will bring completely new challenges and I’m ready for the opportunity."

He'll be replaced by Col. Bradley McDonald, currently Vice Commander of the 10th Air Base Wing at the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs.

His background includes serving as speechwriter to the Commander of Pacific Air Forces and as a Capitol Hill military fellow to the United States Senate Majority Whip. It will be a bit of a homecoming for McDonald. He was a graduate student from 1997 to 1998 at the Air Force Institute of Technology at Wright-Patt.

McDonald says he's humbled and honored to be chosen for this position. "My family and I look forward to returning to the Miami Valley and serving all of Wright-Patt as well as a community known throughout the Air Force for its strong support of the military."

The air base is Ohio’s largest single-site employer. A change of command ceremony is set for June 21.

More about Col. Devillier from the Air Force news release:

Reductions in the operating budget raised hurdles for the organization charged with operating a base of the size and impact of Wright-Patterson. Devillier was forced to make many tough choices about aging infrastructure, maintaining a smooth traffic flow through the gates, and ensuring the safety and security of Ohio's largest single-site employer.
"I've often described the day-to-day operation of Wright-Patterson as running a small city," Devillier said. "Fortunately, I've had an awesome team in the wing to help present solutions to me. As the decision maker, you can’t ask for more than that."
Under Devillier's tenure, he expanded the Public/Private Partnership "P4" program and identified partnership opportunities with local, regional and state partners that included a resource exchange partnership with Sinclair Community College and the Buckeye Federal Health Consortium with the Veterans Affairs Medical Center and Wright-Patterson Medical Center. He also facilitated an agreement to locate a United Service Organization (USO) Center on base promoting an atmosphere that enhances Airmen health, morale, and leisure.

Senior Editor and reporter at WVXU with more than 20 years experience in public radio; formerly news and public affairs producer with WMUB. Would really like to meet your dog.