MSgt. Timothy Mason, a command hydraulics-electrical and environmental functional manager at Air Education and Training Command Headquarters at JBSA-Randolph, Texas, is one of the Air Force’s 12 Outstanding Airmen of the Year for 2015. Mason’s exceptional work enabled headquarters support to 18 Total Force wings, 32,000 personnel, and more than 1,700 aircraft within the command. As a repair network integration core team member, his expertise guided the reorganization of A-10, F-15, and F-16 maintenance support, reducing 34 hydraulic repair centers down to nine. He also led a 13-member test team to validate the T-38 protection panel circuit card upgrade, replacing a 60-year-old design. Additionally, Mason devised an F-16 electrical systems training plan for the Iraqi air force. Dedicated to professional development, he completed a master’s degree in management and was selected as a Distinguished Graduate of the Air Force Senior Noncommissioned Officer Academy’s Advanced Leadership Experience. Air Force Magazine is shining the spotlight on each OAY in the days leading up to AFA’s Air & Space Conference, which starts Sept. 14 in National Harbor, Md. Also featured were: SrA. Allen Cherry, SrA. Meaghan Holley, SrA. Mason Meherg, SSgt. Kresston Davis, SSgt. Lindsey Fuentes, SSgt. Kurtis Harrison, SSgt. Travis Jordan, SSgt. Douglas Kechijian, TSgt. Tamara Acfalle, and MSgt. Joseph Bogdan.
US Space Command Should Always Be Led by a Guardian
Sept. 12, 2026
General Stephen Whiting took command of U.S. Space Command in January 2024, and if customary three-year tenures hold, his tour would end in January 2027. The question now before the President and Senate is who should follow him? Whoever they choose, it has to be a Guardian—and so should every successor…
