OFFUTT AIR FORCE BASE, Neb. -- A change of command ceremony was held inside the Benny Davis Maintenance Facility July 15 where Col. Mohan S. Krishna relinquished command of the 55th Operations Group to Col. Joseph C. Santucci.
More than 500 were in attendance for the ceremony including civic leaders and former 55th Wing commanders. Col. Marty Reynolds, 55th Wing commander, presided over the ceremony and thanked Krishna for his many accomplishments and leadership during a period of emerging global threats.
“Crews deployed in a matter of hours and began delivering the intelligence which shaped the U.S. response,” Reynolds said. “His leadership was concise, timely and instrumental.”
Reynolds then welcomed Santucci, noting his extensive experience in the intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance community.
“His background and experience are both diverse and impressive,” Reynolds said. “He has piloted the RC-135 and U-2 aircraft and served as the special actions officer to Air Combat Command.”
In a time-honored tradition, the 55th OG guidon was handed from Krishna to Santucci signifying his authority as the incoming commander. Santucci will now lead the largest operations group in the Air Force, consisting of 12 squadrons, more than 500 Airmen and 33 aircraft.
Santucci thanked the men and women of the 55th OG and noted the importance of the group’s mission.
The ceremony concluded with a final salute from a formation of operations group members to Krishna and a first salute to Santucci.
Krishna, who commanded the group since May of 2014, will now transfer to the Pentagon where he will work in the Inspector General’s office.
“I will watch your conquests from afar, knowing that every situation or conflict on CNN and around the world already has the 55th Operations Group on watch and on guard,” Krishna said.
Santucci is a command pilot with more than 2,900 flying hours and is a graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy. He most recently served in the United States Strategic Command as the chief of the operations division for the Joint Force Component Command for Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance.