May 28 — The 445th Airlift Wing will hold an investiture of command ceremony on June 1.
Col. Douglas A. Perry Jr. will assume command of the 445th Airlift Wing, the wing said. Perry comes to the 445th from the 434th Operations Group at Joint Air Force Base Grissom, Indiana, where he served as group commander.
As commander of the 445th Airlift Wing at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Perry will command 16 units with an inventory of nine C-17 Globemaster III aircraft valued at $1.7 billion. The wing includes more than 1,700 Airmen tasked with providing worldwide movement of personnel and cargo, with missions ranging from aeromedical evacuation to global strategic airlift.
Perry first entered the Air Force, enlisting in the Indiana Air National Guard, 122nd Tactical Fighter Wing, Fort Wayne, Indiana, in February 1990 as an aircraft weapons systems specialist, according to his Air Force biography. Air Force.
After technical training, he served as a Traditional Guard until 1997. Perry was then selected to attend officer training school followed by undergraduate pilot training, transferring to the Air Force Reserves, 72nd Air Refueling Squadron, 434th Air Refueling Wing, Grissom Air Force Base, Indiana. .
After graduating from officer training school and receiving his commission, he attended graduate pilot training at Laughlin Air Force Base in Texas.
Perry was also commander of the 434th Operations Group, Grissom ARB, Indiana.
The previous commander, Col. Raymond A. Smith Jr., has retired, a unit representative said.
The 445th Airlift Wing is the only flying mission based at Wright-Patterson. In 2023, the wing carried out 1,134 sorties, totaling 3,970 flight hours, in 175 missions. The wing carried 5,981 passengers and delivered more than 17.4 million pounds of cargo.
In total, the wing deployed 169 personnel in 2023. This included 140 Airmen who deployed within 72 hours to provide support in an undisclosed U.S. Central Command area of responsibility.
