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Joint Base San Antonio, 502d Air Base Wing welcomes new commander

  • Published
  • By 1st Lt. Emma McHenry
  • 502d Air Base Wing Public Affairs
JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-RANDOLPH, Texas --  

Brig. Gen. Randy P. Oakland took command of Joint Base San Antonio and 502nd Air Base Wing during a change of command ceremony at Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph on July 31, 2024. He assumed command from the outgoing commander, Brig. Gen. Russell D. Driggers.

Oakland comes to JBSA from his prior assignment as the Director of Operations and Communications at Air Education and Training Command at JBSA-Randolph, Texas.

Driggers has been nominated for promotion to major general and will serve as the Deputy Director of the United States European Command Plans and Operations Directorate in Stuttgart, Germany.

In Oakland’s first address to JBSA, he recognized the hard work the wing and community partners have put in and promised to lead them down a path of continued success.

“We will build on the strong foundation that [Gen. Driggers] established, and I’m blessed to follow in the footsteps of friends,” Oakland said. “I look around with a profound sense of privilege to serve alongside so many talented people, and I look forward to all we can achieve together.”

As the eighth JBSA commander, Oakland will lead the Department of Defense’s largest and most complex joint base, delivering installation support for 10 major commands, 22 wings and brigades, 266 mission partners, and 684,306 personnel across eight geographically separated locations.

Commissioned in May 1996, Oakland is a graduate of the United States Air Force Academy. He holds master’s degrees from Trident University International and the School of Advanced Air and Space Studies, as well as a doctorate in philosophy and military strategy from Air University. He is a command pilot with more than 2,600 hours in the F-15C/D, T-37 and T-38.

JBSA and the 502nd ABW is comprised of three primary locations, JBSA-Fort Sam Houston, JBSA-Lackland, and JBSA-Randolph, plus eight additional operating locations. JBSA significantly contributes to the local economy, with an annual economic impact exceeding $55 billion.

Joint Base San Antonio supports more DOD students and active runways than any other installation and houses the DOD's largest hospital and only level-one trauma center. The wing also manages and provides oversight for major projects, facilities and infrastructure worth more than $37 billion.