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Looser takes command of Air Force Global College

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Tanner Doerr
  • Air University Public Affairs
MAXWELL AIR FORCE BASE, Ala. --  

Col. Andrew Looser assumed command of Air University’s Air Force Global College from Col. Damion Holtzclaw during a change of command ceremony July 10, 2026.

U.S. Air Force Col. Andrew Looser, the incoming commander of Air Force Global College, center, receives the guidon from Col. Ellen Canup, Curtis E. LeMay Center commander, during a change of command ceremony at Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama July 10, 2026.

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U.S. Air Force Col. Andrew Looser, the incoming commander of Air Force Global College, center, receives the guidon from Col. Ellen Canup, Curtis E. LeMay Center commander, during a change of command ceremony at Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama July 10, 2026. Looser assumed leadership of the enterprise, which manages professional military education and career development for more than 450,000 joint service members and civilians. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Tanner Doerr)
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Air University, America’s Airpower University, carries out its mission through subordinate colleges, schools and centers. Among them, the Air Force Global College provides distance-learning professional military education, or PME, to Airmen, Guardians and Department of the Air Force civilians. Looser leads more than 350 personnel, including faculty members, researchers, learning architects, student services professionals and military members.

Col. Ellen Canup, commander of Air University’s Curtis E. LeMay Center for Doctrine Development and Education, presided over the ceremony. She said advanced systems are only part of the equation in an era of great power competition. “Our ultimate advantage is our people, specifically the way people are educated, developed, and are led,” Canup said. She pointed to Holtzclaw’s move away from traditional essays and toward assessments based on operational challenges. “You moved us away from passive legacy assignments,” Canup said. “This programmatic shift ensures that upon graduation, our service members are immediately more capable, lethal, and
prepared to lead under fire.”

U.S. Air Force Col. Damian Holtzclaw, Air Force Global College commander, renders his final salute to Lt. Col. Burge, AFGC chief of staff, and members of AFGC during a change of command ceremony at Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala., July 10, 2026.

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U.S. Air Force Col. Damian Holtzclaw, Air Force Global College commander, renders his final salute to Lt. Col. Burge, AFGC chief of staff, and members of AFGC during a change of command ceremony at Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala., July 10, 2026. The traditional final salute marked the conclusion of Holtzclaw's tenure as commandant before relinquishing command to Col. Andrew Looser. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Tanner Doerr)
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From left, U.S. Air Force Col. Ellen Canup, Curtis E. LeMay Center commander, Col. Damian Holtzclaw, Air Force Global College outgoing commander, and Col. Andrew Looser, Air Force Global College incoming commander, stand at attention during the playing of the national anthem during a change of command ceremony at Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala., July 10, 2026.

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From left, U.S. Air Force Col. Ellen Canup, Curtis E. LeMay Center commander, Col. Damian Holtzclaw, Air Force Global College outgoing commander, and Col. Andrew Looser, Air Force Global College incoming commander, stand at attention during the playing of the national anthem during a change of command ceremony at Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala., July 10, 2026. Canup presided over the event, which formally transferred leadership of the college from Holtzclaw to Looser. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Tanner Doerr)
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U.S. Air Force Col. Ellen Canup, Curtis E. LeMay Center commander, presents the Legion of Merit to Col. Damian Holtzclaw, the outgoing commander of Air Force Global College, during a change of command ceremony at Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala., July 10, 2026.

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U.S. Air Force Col. Ellen Canup, Curtis E. LeMay Center commander, presents the Legion of Merit to Col. Damian Holtzclaw, the outgoing commander of Air Force Global College, during a change of command ceremony at Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala., July 10, 2026. Holtzclaw received the decoration for his exceptionally meritorious service as commandant, a tenure highlighted by expanding online professional military education and forging the intellectual readiness of more than 450,000 joint service members and civilians. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Tanner Doerr)
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Holtzclaw’s tenure brought other changes, too. Air Force Global College completed a unit redesign and launched the Air Force’s first jointly accredited hybrid PME platform. It prepared 474 operational leaders across the Pacific, Europe, Air Combat Command and the Air National Guard. The college brought artificial intelligence and human-machine teaming concepts into its coursework, expanded online PME, integrated the Civilian Leadership Development School and the Community College of the Air Force, and educated more than 450,000 joint service members and civilians.

Canup later presented Holtzclaw the Legion of Merit for exceptionally meritorious service as commandant. Holtzclaw thanked the faculty and staff in his farewell remarks. Looser came to the job from Air University’s Squadron Officer School, where he’d served as dean and vice commandant. He’s held assignments at squadron, group, joint and combatant command levels.

U.S. Air Force Col. Damian Holtzclaw, Air Force Global College commander, renders his final salute to Lt. Col. Burge, AFGC chief of staff, and members of AFGC during a change of command ceremony at Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala., July 10, 2026

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U.S. Air Force Col. Damian Holtzclaw, Air Force Global College commander, renders his final salute to Lt. Col. Burge, AFGC chief of staff, and members of AFGC during a change of command ceremony at Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala., July 10, 2026. The traditional final salute marked the conclusion of Holtzclaw's tenure as commandant before relinquishing command to Col. Andrew Looser. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Tanner Doerr)
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“I have looked at your record, and you are the right officer at the right time to take the guidon today,” Canup said. “Your background as a maintenance and nuclear ops officer, including command of the 377th, proves you know how to build readiness, generate combat power, and lead airmen in a zero-fail environment.”

Looser described the Global College’s place within Air University. “Air Force Global College is not just an organization that sits on a patch of grass at Maxwell Air Force Base,” Looser said. “It is a powerful convergence of vital Air Force missions. It leads a PME enterprise through the College of Online Learning and spans the career development of our entire civilian workforce through the Civilian Leadership Development School.”

Looser closed by focusing on students. “It is an individual career that is shaped, an individual mind that is sharpened, and a leader that is forged after having gone through what you guys offer to them,” Looser said.