Support group welcomes new commander

  • Published
  • By Ryan Hansen
  • 55th Wing Public Affairs
OFFUTT AIR FORCE BASE, Neb. --  The 55th Mission Support Group is under new leadership following a change of command at the Patriot Club here July 6.

Col. Andrea Tullos took the reins from Col. Michael Allshouse in a ceremony presided over by Brig. Gen. Donald Bacon, 55th Wing commander.

"It's an honor to be a member of the Fightin' Fifty-Fifth and the Offutt community," Tullos said. "I'm humbled to be leading such a prestigious organization and welcome the challenge of taking the group to new heights."

Tullos comes to the 55th MSG from Camp H.M. Smith, Hawaii, where she was the chief of the antiterrorism and critical infrastructure protection division, operations directorate, for U.S. Pacific Command.

"(Tullos) is a thinker, writer, speaker, organizer and manager," Bacon said. "But if you look at her records, we also know she's a warrior and a leader, and she's going to do great."

Tullos takes over a 1,500-person group that consists of five squadrons and supports Air Combat Command's largest wing as well as U.S. Strategic Command and the Air Force Weather Agency.

The 55th MSG operates a 4,006-acre base for the 55th WG with more than six million square feet of facilities and the largest privatized housing area in the continental Unites States.

Tullos said she's excited to lead such a diverse group and is thankful to bring her family to a region that supports the military the way the Offutt community does.

"I have no doubt that there's not a community in this nation which is held in higher regard for the level of support you provide to our mission and people," she said. "I can't wait to be part of what is clearly a winning team."

Allshouse's two years at the 55th MSG was marked by one crisis after another -- a record snow fall, a broken water main, sandbagging to prevent flooding from the Missouri River -- but his hard work enabled the base to continue to accomplish its mission without skipping a beat.

"Mike's been a great leader," Bacon said. "Being a commander of any group can be tough, but this one's even tougher."

During his reign the 55th MSG earned 266 ACC awards and scored an excellent on an operational readiness inspection, a 99 percent compliant rate on a unit compliance inspection and 100 percent on the group's first nuclear command and control inspection in more than 12 years.

"Where the fighting is the fiercest and the threat is the largest, Mike is on that front line," Bacon said.

Because of that dedication and service before self attitude, Allshouse was presented the Legion of Merit for his service to the wing since May 2009.

"I want to thank the men and women of the 55th MSG -- officers, enlisted, civilians, both appropriated and non-appropriated, and contractors -- who succeeded every day for the past 26 months in exceeding any expectation I had in simply getting the job done, no matter the obstacle," he said. "What we've accomplished in that relatively short period of time is astonishing."

Allshouse is scheduled to leave Offutt for Air Force Global Strike Command at Barksdale AFB, La.