Commander's Corner- July 2016

  • Published
  • By Major Robert Damon III
On June 4, 2016, I had the honor of taking Command of the 166th Operations Support Squadron from Lt. Col. Chris Kilcullen. As the OSS commander, I have the privilege of working with very experienced and knowledgeable officers and NCO’s. I am fortunate to take on a squadron with such talented leaders in key positions. Since arriving in Delaware from Active Duty in 2009, I’ve been blessed with numerous opportunities ranging from Chief of Command Post, Chief of Aircrew Training and most recently Chief of Standards and Evaluations.

Over my career, I’ve served in multiple deployments including four deployments with the Del. ANG. Serving both as a flyer and working several staff positions including a tour in the Combined Air Operations Center has allowed me to witness the true grit of the ANG. Without a doubt, Delaware has always stepped up to the plate whenever we were called to duty. I am truly impressed with how our unit comes together and excels by completing each mission without fail under any circumstance.


A couple years ago, the Del. ANG awarded me the opportunity to attend the Marine Corps Command and Staff College. The experience was second to none, taking our minds out of the tactical level and expanding it into the operational and strategic levels of planning, utilizing both the joint planning and the Marine Corps planning processes. My experience as the Operational Planning Team leader taught me how our Joint Military can effectively integrate with civilian agencies and authorities in times of crisis and military resources may be utilized to minimize pain and suffering of the people affected. These experiences will help me lead our team through difficult times and I encourage others to learn what our sister services bring to the fight.

Finally, the Del. ANG allowed me to attain top notch leadership training during my most recent study at the USAF Weapons School, certainly the biggest challenge of my career.Throughout the program, we were required to plan and execute at the highest level to solve complex problems in order to successfully complete objectives.

Integrating with other weapons systems enhances our overall capabilities and knowing what each brings to the fight enables us to better make use of our own capabilities when called to combat operations for our state and for our nation.

I am honored and humbled by the opportunity to serve as the OSS Commander. I look forward to working with the Air Force’s best Airmen and further enhance the capabilities of the Delaware Air National Guard.