Photo By Samuel King Jr. | Brig. Gen. Mark Massaro, 96th Test Wing commander, speaks at his recent commanders...... read more read more
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EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. – A top Defense Department priority, highlighted in January by the Defense Secretary, is to rebuild the military by matching threats to capabilities and reestablish deterrence by defending the homeland.
This year, the base commander accepted that challenge and recently shared his defense vision of the installation he oversees as the 96th Test Wing commander.
Brig. Gen. Massaro called Eglin a power projection platform requiring a combination of mission, people and partners to maintain that capability.
"I see Eglin as a weapons system,” said Massaro during a recent commander’s call. "The base is a way to project power. The Air Force missions here span the spectrum of science and technology all the way through putting bombs on targets.”
The basic beginning-to-end elements of a military mission resides within the Eglin complex. Ideas generated by Air Force Research Lab scientists and engineers create the next warfighter improvement. The Armament Directorate provides the planning and coordination to get it built and prepared for testing. The 96th TW and 53rd Wing accomplish that testing so it can be used by those warfighters.
The 33rd Fighter Wing, Navy Explosive Ordnance Disposal school and 6th Ranger Training Battalion train those fighters for war. The 919th Special Operations Wing and the 7th Special Forces Group must be ready to go at a moment’s notice. That’s only a few of the 44 different agencies that make the Eglin weapons system function.
“The job of the installation is to protect and sustain those missions, so they continue to be effective,” said the commander.
To protect that system, the base’s defensive posture changed to include restrictions to waterways, range roads, gate measures and specifically to counter-unmanned aircraft systems.
Massaro praised an Eglin counter-UAS working group, created approximately six months ago, focused on creating protocols on how to report, and deal with UAS’s such as drones. The group includes security, operations and the local community to help in the effort. Massaro explained Eglin is further ahead than Northern Command’s current requirements for posturing United States bases against this new threat.
“Our power projection has changed significantly over the last 30 years,” Massaro said. “There are now adversaries out there that can strike at the things that we hold dear in several different ways. There are activities happening that are against our interest in projecting power and affecting our ability to execute the mission. Understanding these threats are out there, we taken these new steps to better protect our weapons system.”
| Date Taken: | 04.01.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 04.01.2025 14:21 |
| Story ID: | 494286 |
| Location: | EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, FLORIDA, US |
| Web Views: | 57 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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