Brig. Gen. Mark Kelly recently took command of the 455th Air Expeditionary Wing at Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan, from Brig. Gen. Patrick Malackowski. Kelly, who previously served as the 345th Fighter Wing commander at Eielson AFB, Alaska, addressed the importance of the wing’s mission as the International Security Assistance Force mandate draws to a close, according to a July 3 release. “You are the proud owners of the Air Force’s no fail missions,” he said. Kelly noted the next year would be “absolutely pivotal” for operations at the wing as US forces in the country will transition from Operation Enduring Freedom to supporting the new train and assist mission with the Afghan government under Operation Resolute Support. Maj. Gen. John McMullen, the 9th Air and Space Expeditionary Task Force-Afghanistan commander, presided over the change of command ceremony at Bagram on July 3. McMullen praised Malackowski for his stewardship of air operations at the wing over the previous year, to include launching and recovering over 8,700 missions, which tallied 30,000 flight hours.
The crash of a T-38 trainer jet this May—which caused a weekslong pause in flights across the fleet—was caused by an improperly installed pin for one of the jet’s horizontal stabilizers, according to a new accident report released Oct. 30. When the pin disengaged midflight, it created the slightest amount…