JOINT BASE MCGUIRE-DIX-LAKEHURST, NEW JERSEY —
Brigadier Gen. Stephen Snelson took command of the of the U.S. Air Force Expeditionary Center in a ceremony here July 12, 2024.
Snelson said his new assignment feels like a homecoming. Not only because he served here as the commander of the 305th Operations Support Squadron from 2011 to 2013, but also because after spending three years working in joint assignments at U.S. Central Command, he is glad to be back at an Air Force unit.
“There’s nothing like being a part of the world’s greatest Air Force,” he said.
General Mike Minihan, Air Mobility Command commander, officiated the ceremony. He said the Expeditionary Center needs a leader who understands the complexities of the Indo-Pacific Command theater and who will remind our adversaries that we have Airmen that can deliver deterrence and decisive victory anywhere, any time. Minihan said Snelson is the right person at the right time to meet those needs.
“His experience as an operator and his brilliant mind as a planner are the reasons he was chosen for this job,” Minihan said. “He has what it takes to lead the EC, to manage a force that can handle the pacing challenge.”
Snelson’s qualifications align with the center’s mission of providing expeditionary agile combat support and rapid global mobility training. In previous assignments, he has planned and executed large-scale multinational exercises, fostered military relationships with foreign partners, developed contingency plans and oversaw operations across a 21-nation area. In addition to U.S. Central Command, Snelson has held multiple assignments within Indo-Pacific Command.
With over 14,000 Airmen, the Expeditionary Center supports the Air Force’s global mission, ensuring rapid global mobility and expeditionary operations are executed with precision and effectiveness.
“The 24/7, 365 mission of this enterprise takes no pause as the sun never sets on the EC’s global reach and global power projection,” Minihan said.
Maj. Gen. John Klein, who served as the EC’s commander for the past two years, is headed to the Pentagon where he will serve at Headquarters Air Force as the Assistant Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations.
