New 91st Missile
Wing commander ready to move aheadBy ELOISE OGDEN, Regional Editor eogden@minotdailynews.com
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MINOT AIR FORCE BASE The new commander of the 91st Missile Wing at Minot Air Force Base says he's ready to move the missile wing forward.
Col. Fred Stoss III began Wednesday as the commander of the missile wing, replacing Col. Chris Ayres.
Ayres and two other commanders in the missile wing were relieved of their duties by Maj. Gen. Roger W. Burg, commander of 20th Air Force. Air Force officials said Wednesday that Ayres was relieved of duties because of a loss of confidence in his ability to command. Recent incidents during Ayres' command, including an Aug. 31 rollover of a payload transporter near Berthold, contributed to the loss of confidence, Air Force officials said.
The 91st Missile Wing is an element of 20th Air Force based at F.E. Warren AFB, Wyo., as well as a component of Air Force Space Command at Peterson AFB, Colo.
"It is an honor and a privilege to be assigned as the commander of the 91st Missile Wing," Stoss said at a news conference at the base with local media Thursday. "The circumstances which led to this was General Burg, looking at accountability actions from the previous commander, determined that the commander needed to be rotated out of this position and I rotated in so I assumed command of the 91st Missile Wing yesterday."
Stoss went on, "The missile wing is full of great people. It is an honor and privilege to lead this wing. The wing, I believe, has the talent, the people, the material, the procedures to become the finest ICBM (intercontinental ballistic missile) wing in America, and that is my vision for this wing."
Stoss previously was vice commander of the 90th Missile Wing at F.E. Warren AFB.
He explained what the next steps will be for the Minot missile wing and its people.
"We're going to do so through getting back to the basics, through learning every facet of all our requirements, looking at our tech data, our Air Force instructions, our directives from higher headquarters and learning them to the highest degrees of perfection. And then we're going to take this instruction, this knowledge, and we're going to execute the mission with perfection," Stoss said.
The 91st Missile Wing is responsible for 150 Minuteman III ICBMs located in underground facilities in northwest and north-central North Dakota.
"This mission we have is of critical importance to the United States of America, our friends and our allies," Stoss said.
"With this awesome mission and, in fact, having the privilege of being assigned at the most powerful wing of the United States Air Force and the most powerful base in the United States Air Force, it is a tremendous honor and I look forward to leading this wing to new heights and to working with my colleagues here at the 5th Bomb Wing and also very soon to take opportunities to engage the local community of which is famous throughout the Air Force for being so close to the base," Stoss said.
A native of Kansas, Stoss said he hasn't been assigned to Minot AFB before but has been here temporarily many times over the years.
Stoss said he met most of the airmen in the Minot missile wing Wednesday. That day, he said Burg met with wing personnel and introduced him (Stoss) to them. "And (I've) been off and running every since," he said.
As for what he will do to hopefully avoid any situations similar to those that led to the recent changes, Stoss said:
"As I said, my boss, Maj. Gen. Burg, commander of 20th Air Force, deemed it necessary to hold the previous commander accountable and relieve him of his position.
"Accountability is part of federal service. It should be. The American citizens expect a high degree of accountability from our government leaders, from our political leaders, and our military leaders certainly should fall under in that same aspect. So with those accountability actions, I'm going to have a continued focus and take the wing to new heights in the area of learning our instructions, regulations, our directives, to the best of their ability and then executing them with perfection," Stoss said.
He went on, "This is a tough business we're in. There are many requirements. The Minuteman weapon system, while geniuses designed it and it's stood the test of time, in terms of reliability, accuracy and in combat power, it is a complex system and it requires the utmost professionalism to perfectly carry this mission on day-to-day basis. And with a focus on that I have set on my sights the vision of this wing having the highest standards in all these areas I've discussed today, in fact, soon to be the premier wing in space command.
"And as we transition to Global Strike Command to be the best ICBM wing in that command and perhaps the best wing in all Global Strike Command."
The ICBM wing will transition to Global Strike Command on Dec. 1.
In working with nuclear weapons, Stoss said there is a zero defect mentality throughout the nuclear enterprise.
"The Air Force has had challenges in the last few years," Stoss said. "I believe that we are bolstering our process, our methods, our people each and every day to perform this mission perfectly. I am invigorated working with our young airmen and seeing the heights which they are able to achieve in their day-to-day mission," Stoss said.
"This is a business of such criticality and of such complexity that even one or two airmen making a mistake can have significant implications," he said. "The importance to national security with this mission demands nothing but the best and this wing will deliver the best."
Stoss said he's not aware of any pending inspections for the missile wing. But he said Gen. C. Robert Kehler, commander of Air Force Space Command at Peterson AFB, Colo., has discussed the no-notice nuclear surety inspections. "That is another one of my jobs to have this wing always at a high degree of readiness."
Stoss started in missiles in 1988 and most of his Air Force assignments have been either ICBM related or nuclear related, he said.
"This is my bread and butter. This is what I love. I love it cold, I like to be places where it's cold and so does my family. My family is excited to come up here and join me very soon as well," he said.
His wife of 20 years, Laura, will be arriving in a few weeks. They have two boys, Jeremy, 7, and Matthew, 12.
"As a career ICBM launch officer, of course, the ultimate honor would be to be named wing commander. It is a humble privilege to come up here and command a wing that I believe is full of great people and has a great potential. I see as my challenge to achieve that potential in the very near future," Stoss said.
Col. Michael Spencer remains as vice commander of the wing. Stoss said that he and Spencer have previously worked together.
The replacements for Col. Lyman A. Faith, commander of the 91st Maintenance Group, and Lt. Col. Andrew D. Healy, commander of the 91st Missile Maintenance Squadron, have not been announced yet, said Laurie Arellano, chief of Public Affairs at Minot AFB. Faith and Healy were also relieved of their duties.
