Operations group gets new leader

  • Published
  • By Capt. Gerardo Gonzalez
  • 56th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
LUKE AIR FORCE BASE, Ariz. --  A former Luke Air Force Base squadron commander has returned to lead the 56th Operations Group and took charge of the unit during a ceremony held June 25 in Hangar 913.

Col. Douglas Miller, former 61st Fighter Squadron commander here, took command of the largest operations group in the Air Force from Col. Pete Schaub who now heads to U.S. Army Garrison-Yongsan, Republic of Korea.

"I'm glad to be back at Luke," said Colonel Miller, 56th OG commander, during the ceremony. "It feels like we're back at home."

The colonel thanked his wife and daughters for their support of his service to the Air Force. He also expressed gratitude to senior leadership for the opportunity to command the OG.

"I'm honored by the trust you and General (Stephen) Lorenz have placed in me to lead this group," he said to Brig. Gen. Kurt Neubauer, 56th Fighter Wing commander.

Colonel Miller praised the men and women of the OG and said their reputation as the "premier" group in the Air Force is "well deserved." He also stressed that the nation has placed great trust in the group to continue to train the world's greatest F-16 pilots.
"There's no doubt we can meet the challenges," he said.

As presiding officer, General Neubauer spoke highly of both the outgoing and incoming commanders.

"Command is the single most important duty bestowed on anyone in the Air Force," he said. "It's not a title to be had but a job to get done, and Colonel Schaub got the job done."

General Neubauer expressed confidence in the new commander and lauded him as the "exact" officer to continue to get the job done in the OG.

The outgoing commander, Colonel Schaub, expressed his gratitude to many, including the 56th maintenance, support, and medical groups.

"Thank you for enabling our mission," he said about the other three groups in the wing. "Without you we can't get the mission done."

Colonel Miller is a command pilot with more than 2,700 total flying hours, primarily in the F-16 Fighting Falcon and has served in combat over Iraq during Operation Southern Watch. He graduated from the Air Force Academy in 1988, and prior to returning to Luke he served as the chief, strategy and policy division, J5, at U.S. Forces Korea, USAG-Yongsan.