Air Force 64th Air Refueling Wing reactivated at Pease for KC-46A tanker missions

PO1 William "Chip" Nagel
..."Ian Lenahan, Portsmouth Herald
Fri, July 8, 2022 at 10:02 PM·4 min read
PORTSMOUTH — The Air Force’s 64th Air Refueling Squadron has returned to Pease Air National Guard Base.

A homecoming celebration and squadron change-of-command ceremony — with a stars and stripes-painted KC-46A Pegasus tanker on display — was held Friday afternoon at the base.

Members of the squadron and operators of the KC-46A tankers will be stationed at Pease. The 64th squadron will be charged with aircraft refueling missions under the command of the 157th Air Refueling Wing at Pease.

Lt. Col. Brandon Stock speaks in front of a KC-46A Pegasus tanker during the 64 Assumption of Command Ceremony at Pease Air National Guard Base Friday, July 8, 2022.
Lt. Col. Brandon Stock speaks in front of a KC-46A Pegasus tanker during the 64 Assumption of Command Ceremony at Pease Air National Guard Base Friday, July 8, 2022.
Lt. Col. Brandon Stock, previously stationed at Travis Air Force Base in California as chief of safety of the 60th Air Mobility Wing, assumed command of the 64th Air Refueling Squadron.

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“I’m proud to join you today as we set the tone,” he said. “I’m humbled to serve in a squadron with such a proud past and bright future, a squadron on the leading edge and forging a path for others to follow.”

Lt. Col. Brandon Stock, seated at right, laughs at a joke told at his expense by Maj. Gen. David Mikolaities, with microphone, during the 64 ARS Assumption of Command Ceremony July 8, 2022. Seated at left is Col. Joshua Zaker.
Lt. Col. Brandon Stock, seated at right, laughs at a joke told at his expense by Maj. Gen. David Mikolaities, with microphone, during the 64 ARS Assumption of Command Ceremony July 8, 2022. Seated at left is Col. Joshua Zaker.
What is the history of the 64th? And why did it leave Pease?
The 64th Air Refueling Squadron was formed in 1942, though in the decades since it has been deactivated and activated at military bases around the United States. In 2009, the squadron was activated at Pease, though it was later deactivated upon the 157th Air Refueling Wing’s divesting of the previous military refueling aircraft fleet, the KC-135 Stratotanker.

In February 2021, the final KC-46A tanker in a fleet of a dozen, manufactured by Boeing and based off the company’s 767 commercial airliner, arrived at Pease.

Marking that occasion was Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-New Hampshire, who returned to Pease on Friday alongside members of the state’s congressional delegation to witness the squadron’s reactivation and change-of-command.

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What is the role of the 64th squadron and the KC-46A tankers?
Shaheen referenced Russia’s war against Ukraine and an “increasing belligerence” from China as reasons for U.S. military readiness today. The state’s senior senator added the “post World War II rules-based order is under the gravest threat,” which she said hasn’t been seen since the conclusion of World War II.

Col. Nelson Perron takes part in the 64 ARS Assumption of Command ceremony at Pease July 8, 2022.
Col. Nelson Perron takes part in the 64 ARS Assumption of Command ceremony at Pease July 8, 2022.
“The need for our military to maintain a broad and reliable reach to safeguard our interests is imperative,” she said.

Joining Shaheen from the state’s all-Democratic congressional delegation were U.S. Sen. Maggie Hassan and U.S. Rep. Chris Pappas.

Col. Joshua Zaker, left, hands the guidon of the 64th Air Refueling Squandron to symbolically hand over the leadership of the unit to Lt. Col. Brandon Stock Friday, July 8, 2022 at Pease Air National Guard Base.
Col. Joshua Zaker, left, hands the guidon of the 64th Air Refueling Squandron to symbolically hand over the leadership of the unit to Lt. Col. Brandon Stock Friday, July 8, 2022 at Pease Air National Guard Base.
Uniformed members of the 157th Air Refueling Wing congregated in the back of the hangar as Hassan commended them for their service.

Hassan noted the 12 Pegasus tankers are named after two New Hampshire municipalities (Portsmouth and Newington) and all 10 of the state’s counties. The 157th Air Refueling Wing at Pease was the first wing in the nation to have its complete fleet of the new generation tankers.

“The fact that the KC-46A is stationed here reaffirms the excellence, ingenuity and hard work of all those who serve at Pease Air National Guard Base,” Hassan said.

Stock, who received his commission from the Air Force Academy in 2004, has been deployed to over 280 combat missions into Afghanistan, Iraq and the Horn of Africa. A command pilot by training, Stock has flown more than 4,600 hours in military aircraft, including within KC-46A tankers and KC-135 Stratotankers.

The Air Force veteran was handed command of the 64th Air Refueling Squadron by Col. Joshua Zaker, commander of the 22nd Operations Group at McConnell Air Force Base in Kansas. The 64th Air Refueling Squadron is part of the 22nd Operations Group but operated by Pease’s 157th Air Refueling Wing.

“We are defining the future of rapid global mobility,” Stock said.

How big is the 64th squadron coming to Pease?
The 64th Air Refueling Squadron will have up to 160 members that will be assigned to Pease Air National Guard Base by December 2023, according to the leadership of the 157th Refueling Wing. Members of the squadron will work alongside members of the New Hampshire Air National Guard.

“The unit’s airmen will be a different group than before as they will come from various bases across the world and receive assignments to New Hampshire based on needs of the active duty Air Force,” a press release issued by the 157th Refueling Wing leaders states."...

I love AFBs and re-activations