A new hand is at the helm of Ellsworth’s 28th Bomb Wing. With the ceremony rich with tradition and circumstance Friday, Col. Derek Oakley has officially assumed command.
With the development of the B-21 bomber continuing daily, Oakley said the community can expect infrastructure to be among his top priorities.
“It will not stop, probably for the next decade we’re going to see construction on this base," Oakley said. "It’ll get bigger, we’ll see an influx of personnel over time that will come in. The community is already well in advance of that, just driving around seeing the new apartment buildings going up, new homes going up everywhere, school districts – looking at what that expansion is going to look like.”
Oakley said linking the “deter” and “defeat” portions of the base is another goal of his.
“Ellsworth’s biggest challenge is, I think, trying to bring those two missions sets together," Oakley said. "We have a limited number of people who are trying to do everything that we do. Which means you’re going to have to pull some people out to be able to do the duties to make sure those facilities are right, while at the same time continuing to execute our mission. Our goal is to make sure we’re juggling both those balls in the air, and we don’t drop either of them.”
Outgoing commander Col. Joseph Sheffield served at Ellsworth from June of 2021 and leaves to take a job in the Pentagon.