CAMP MURRAY, Wash. -- Col. Brett Bosselman became the new commander of the 225th Support Squadron during a change of command ceremony at the Pierce County Readiness Center on Camp Murray, Wash., April 10, 2019.
The ceremony was presided over by Col. Scott Humphrey, 225th Air Defense Group commander.
Bosselmann replaced Col. Paige Abbott, who served at the Western Air Defense Sector since 1995 in various positions to include more recently the 225th Air Defense Squadron commander and 225th Support Squadron commander. She will go on to Washington Air National Guard Headquarters as the director of staff for Brig. Gen. Jeremy Horn, Washington Air National Guard commander.
Horn explained during his opening comments that, “for the past three years, Colonel Abbott led her team of world-class maintainers and cyber experts to enable seamless integration of legacy and emerging BMC2 capabilities to deter and defeat all air threats in defense of the homeland. All of her skills, experience and team building will serve her well as she helps builds our headquarters team and focuses on supporting the 2,000 Airmen in the state of Washington.”
Horn went on to explain that Bosselmann’s “previous positions in the WADS, make him a perfect fit to move to the 225th Support Squadron and apply same passion and same purpose to accomplish the larger mission of supporting the air dominance mission.”
After assuming command, Bosselmann addressed the members of the 225th Support Squadron explaining that “these are exciting times as we begin a generational change in how the Air Force performs command and control and the Battle Control Centers are leading the change. We have plenty of work ahead of us as we modernize our mission systems, but I promise, the decision superiority we provide our national leaders will be unequalled.”
Bosselmann emphasized that, “the best equipment in the world doesn’t amount to much without the people who maintain, fix, and operate that equipment.”
Bosselmann reiterated Horn’s expectation that the Washington Air National Guard’s environment will be one where everyone is safe, valued, and respected. He explained that everyone should be “safe from physical harm and safe to bring troubling issues to supervisors or the command. Valued knowing that every single person and every single task is important to accomplishing the mission. Respected knowing everyone has good ideas and a voice that will be heard when those ideas are shared.”
Bosselmann is a graduate of the Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) from the University of South Florida, where he earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Geology in 1995. After 8 years on active duty service in the Air Force, he joined the Washington Air National Guard in 2003. Bosselmann is a Master Air Battle Manager with more than 1,600 hours in the E-3B/C. He has deployed and participated in Operation Enduring Freedom, Operation Caribbean Shield, Operation Anaconda, Operation Mountain Lion and Combined Defense of the Arabian Gulf. Since 2003, he has been leading personnel in the homeland defense Operation Noble Eagle mission. Prior to assuming his current position, he served as 225th Air Defense Squadron commander.