Moron Air Base, 496th ABS changes command

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Jordan Castelan
  • 86th Airlift Wing Public Affairs
RAMSTEIN AIR BASE, Germany --  Lt. Col. John Preston took command of the 496th Air Base Squadron during a ceremony June 15, 2014, on Moron Air Base, Spain.

Lt. Col. Daniel Furleigh relinquished command to Preston after 15 months of serving as the commander.

The 86th Operations Group commander Col. Ashley Salter, officiated the time-honored tradition and spoke about the importance of Moron's mission.

"Perhaps no other base touches as many missions as Moron," said Salter. "The Airmen that serve here enable missions on three continents; four combatant commanders depend on these Airmen for combat power and strategic diplomacy."

Moron Air Base is a geologically separated unit falling under the 86th OG that operates and maintains an airfield supporting C-130, KC-10, and KC-135 variants along with Navy and Marine operated aircraft.

"We offer expandable capability in order to respond to global events," said Preston. "We are geographically situated at a critical spot in regards to the continental U.S., Southwest Asia, and Africa. We are able to support the roughly 850 Marines of the U.S. Marine Corp's Special Marine Air Ground Task Force - Crisis Response, in their new mission to support and respond to crises in Africa; we support French allies with tankers during their operations over Mali; additionally we support U.S Transportation Command and U.S. Central Command in facilitating the flow of aircraft in and out of theater."

The airfield is also operated in cooperation with the Spanish air force and their aircraft.
Although there are less than 200 Airmen assigned to Moron AB, the new commander is confident in their capabilities to excel at their mission and proud of the relationships with their hosts.

"We continue to pride ourselves on our ability to provide expandable expeditionary combat support while assuring the finest quality of life for Team Moron and transiting forces," said Preston. "Team Moron is very proud of our strong relationships with our Spanish hosts and seeks opportunities to further those bonds."