33rd Fighter Wing welcomes new commander Published June 22, 2023 By Airman 1st Class Christian Corley 33rd Fighter Wing EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla.-- The 33rd Fighter Wing welcomed their new commander during a change of command ceremony June 22, 2023. U.S. Air Force Col. Jack Arthaud, relinquished command of the 33rd FW to U.S. Air Force Col. David Skalicky. U.S. Air Force Maj. Gen. Clark Quinn, 19th Air Force commander, presided over the ceremony. Quinn thanked Arthaud for his exceptional work over the past two years and praised the 33rd FW for training combat-credible Airmen. “You will not find a wing better at educating the Airmen our nation needs than the 33rd FW,” said Quinn. “The 33rd is forging the next generation of Airmen, ensuring readiness for future warfighters and developing Airmen with the competencies to win against any adversary.” During Arthaud’s tenure as commander, the 33rd FW reactivated the 60th Fighter Squadron, nearly doubled the amount of aircraft available to fly, sortie production and graduated pilots, and scored a clearly effective rating in all major grading categories of the unit effectiveness inspection. “It’s been fun to work with all of the incredible Airmen and leaders within the wing,” said Arthaud. “The mission we do here is absolutely critical. The geo-strategic threats that we are facing right now are like none that we’ve seen since the Cold War; they’re more complex and more diverse. My challenge to you is to stay ready, be prepared for whatever fight is in front of us and be prepared to support and defend our nation.” As commander, Skalicky will be responsible for overseeing the training of F-35A Lightning II pilots and maintainers, air battle managers and intelligence specialists. “What we do in the next two years will determine our nation’s readiness for the second half of this decade,” said Skalicky. “Thank you for the opportunity to lead you on this journey. Let’s get this started.”