HILL AIR FORCE BASE, Utah -- The 419th Maintenance Squadron welcomed Maj. Kelly Ryan as the new commander during an assumption of command ceremony here Feb. 4, 2024.
As commander, Ryan will lead more than 200 reservists in maintaining Hill AFB’s 78 F-35A Lightning II aircraft. These Airmen ensure the aircraft are fully mission capable.
Ryan joined the Air Force in Oct. 2009 after commissioning through Officer Training School. This is not the first time Ryan has set foot at Hill Air Force Base. Ryan ecstatically expressed his return to Utah to the room full of friends, family, and colleagues.
“I never thought I would end up back here again, but I’m happy I did,” said Ryan. “I can easily tell from just a few days that one thing has not changed and that’s this collection of world-class airmen that we have here making the mission happen every day.”
Before taking command of the 419th MXS, Ryan served as Director of Operations at the 301st Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, at Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base located in Fort Worth, Texas.
As members of a Reserve squadron, 419th MXS Airmen work alongside active-duty personnel in the 388th Fighter Wing to achieve total force integration. Reserve and active-duty Airmen often train together so they are prepared to work as one team in a deployed environment.