Air Force Col. Deirdre Mahon assumed command of DLA Aviation at Ogden June 29 during a ceremony held at Hill Aerospace Museum, Hill Air Force Base, Utah. She relieved Army Col. James Kinkade, who served as the first commander for DLA Aviation at Ogden.

DLA Aviation Commander Brig. Gen. Scott Jansson presided over the ceremony surrounded by aircraft displays, past and present, supported by Ogden Air Logistics Center and DLA Aviation.

"You should be as proud as I am of the great work you do in support or our Air Force customers here at Hill and across the globe," said Jansson.

"Col. Kinkade set the standard for his peers, who turned to him for advice and guidance," he said. "He reduced on-base delivery times by 74 percent, increased inventory accuracy by 25 percent, and returned 17,500 square feet of productive floor space to the Air Logistics Center. Col. Kinkade also led his team to achieve a phenomenal 31 percent reduction in maintenance back orders in just one year!"

Jansson said the number of Air Force customers attending the ceremony were a testament to Kinkade's devotion to relationship building.

Following his remarks, Jansson presented Kinkade with the Defense Superior Service Medal for his service during his time as commander.

Kinkade received the medal for the positive impact his leadership had on warfighter support at the Ogden Air Logistics Center by reducing on-base delivery times, increasing inventory accuracy and returning productive floor space to the Air Force. During his time as commander, Kinkade played a central role in creating a comprehensive sustainment process, the Integrated Planning and Execution Sustainment Process, which the Air Force Materiel Command adopted across its command as the single central sustainment process for depot maintenance.

When Kinkade took the podium, he thanked Jansson for the positive leadership experience he gave him.

Kinkade told his employees, "As you reflect on the ceremony later, take all the times you heard my name out and put your names in place of mine. You did the work, had the ideas and drove this command with your spark, passion and determination to do the right thing for the warfighter."

Kinkade told attendees there are several noticeable differences being an Army colonel on an Air Force base, not the least of which are the differences in uniforms and the number of stripes indicating Air Force rank.

But much is the same, Kinkade said as he highlighted three similarities, "A problem is a problem, just fix it. Parts are parts and we should move heaven and earth to get the part. The might of our country rides on the backs of 18-22 year olds, combine them with their weapon systems and you have the most powerful force on earth."

In closing Kinkade told Mahon, "You will love the job; you have the right experience, training, and leadership style to run this team."

Jansson told the audience that Mahon, a logistics readiness officer, is exceptionally well-qualified with the right education, training, and job experiences to be successful in her new command. "And Col. Mahon is no stranger to DLA having completed a successful three-year tour at DLA headquarters," he said. "She developed and laid out the concept for our current Fusion Center and was instrumental in DLA's successful support of the Afghanistan surge effort.

Turning to Mahon, Jansson said "I'm confident that you will take the great organization that Col. Kinkade has left you to even greater heights."

Mahon thanked Jansson for his trust and confidence in her.

"I'm looking forward to leading this critical command and reconnecting with the many great logistics professionals across the DLA Enterprise," she said.

Mahon thanked Kinkade for the relationships he built and said, "I'm looking forward to following in your footsteps and continuing the partnership and collaboration with our customers."

To Team Aviation, Mahon said, "I'm looking forward to working with you and for you, continuing the path Col. Kinkade has set. It's going to be a great time."

Prior to assuming command of DLA Aviation at Ogden, Mahon was the 460th Mission Support Group commander, 460th Space Wing, Buckley Air Force Base, Colorado. (Air Force Col. Deirdre Mahon biography <http://www.aviation.dla.mil/externalnews/media/pdf/2012/COL_Deirdre_Mahon_DLABio_June2012.pdf> ). Three of the squadrons in her group earned Air Force Space Command "Squadron of the Year" honors.

Kinkade leaves Ogden to serve as executive officer to the deputy chief of staff for operations, U. S. Army Materiel Command in Huntsville, Ala.