Weather wing under new leadership

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Rachelle Blake
  • 557th Weather Wing Public Affairs
OFFUTT AIR FORCE BASE, Neb. --  The 557th Weather Wing held a change of command ceremony in their auditorium June 24.

U.S. Air Force Lt. Gen. Mark C. Nowland, 12th Air Force (Air Forces Southern) commander, presided over the event as U.S. Air Force Col. Steven Dickerson took command of the 557th WW from U.S. Air Force Col. William Carle.

When searching through possible wing commander selections, Nowland said Dickerson's name popped right to the top of the list.

"Incredible record, highly qualified and well prepared," Nowland said of Dickerson. "You have a leader that is going to get out in front. He is going to do the job of winning while at the same time creating an environment where 'someone knows me and cares about me.'"

Nowland not only left Dickerson with a job to do, but also the men and women of the 557th WW.

"For this wing, I charge you to keep charging, keep pressing," Nowland said. "There are more challenges ahead. You have new leaders. Get behind them and support them. But most of all, hang together because you have a righteous mission...nobody comes close to us because of what you do every day."

Dickerson took command of the wing only days after relinquishing command of the 1st Weather Group.

"To the men and women of the 557th WW, I am honored and thrilled to be your commander," Dickerson said. "I can't believe I have been given this awesome responsibility to lead you. Whether you are in this auditorium or at one of our 19 geographically separated units, I am absolutely astonished at what you do every single day."

Under Carle's command, the wing underwent many changes, including the reorganization from the Air Force Weather Agency to the 557th WW.

"The passion and the focus displayed by this wing is humbling," Carle said. "I will tell you from the bottom of my heart, it has been an absolute privilege to serve all the Airmen in this wing."   

In honor of his accomplishments, Carle was presented the Legion of Merit. 

"He delivered unparalleled weather services and warning support to Air Force, Army and joint units at 533 Defense Department installations worldwide," said U.S. Air Force Maj. Brian Yates, master of ceremonies. "His leadership implemented a new global forecast model and standardized operations wing-wide, resulting in the best severe weather warning accuracy in the organization's history by an amazing 10 percent on 7,492 warnings."

Carle will go on to serve at U.S. Strategic Command.

The mission of the 557th Weather Wing is maximizing America's power through the exploitation of timely, accurate and relevant weather information; anytime, everywhere.