NATO

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Lieutenant Colonel Christopher J. Lovett relinquished command of the 426th Air Base Squadron to Lieutenant Colonel Shawn P. Beskar during a change of command ceremony at the Squadron’s Community Activity Centre in Stavanger, Norway, on Friday 6 July 2018.

Colonel Christopher J. Bromen, Commander of the 423rd Air Base Group, presided over the change of command ceremony.

The ceremony brought together service members from the 426th Air Base Squadron and their families, guests, as well as the Joint Warfare Centre’s international staff, including Polish Army Major General Andrzej Reudowicz, Commander Joint Warfare Centre, and United States Navy Rear Admiral James A. Kirk, the Centre’s Deputy Commander and the Chief of Staff.

Before his appointment as the new commanding officer of the 426th Air Base Squadron, Lieutenant Colonel Beskar served as the Contingency War Planner at Headquarters United States European Command (USEUCOM) in Stuttgart-Vaihingen, Germany.

Colonel Bromen gave welcome remarks following the playing of the National Anthems of Norway and the United States and the invocation by Reverend Peter Hogarth.

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After Lieutenant Colonel Lovett’s farewell remarks, Lieutenant Colonel Beskar took the podium to address the 426th family for the first time.

“To the men and women of the 426th Air Base Squadron… I am humbled to serve as your new Commander. I promise to serve you to the best of my ability, and hope to be the inspirational commander that you want and, at times, will need,” Lieutenant Colonel Beskar said.

“These are exciting times to be part of an Air Force Squadron,” he added. “At no other time in my career has there been so much emphasis, from the Chief of Staff on down, on empowering, enabling, and supporting squadrons. This renewed focus is due in large part because we need to be lethal and ready to engage the tough adversaries that challenge the United States and our NATO Allies.”

Lieutenant Colonel Lovett will move back to the United States where he will serve at Air Force Global Strike Command, Barksdale Air Force Base in Louisiana.

Lieutenant Colonel Beskar joins the 426th Air Base Squadron with his wife Dr. Emily Beskar and their two children.

The mission of the 426th Air Base Squadron is to provide base level services to NATO's Joint Warfare Centre and the U.S Department of Defense personnel assigned throughout Scandinavia.

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