5th BW welcomes new commander

by Senior Airman Andrew Crawford
Minot Air Force Base Public Affairs

7/15/2014 - MINOT AIR FORCE BASE, N.D.  -- Col. Jason Armagost accepted command of the 5th Bomb Wing from Col. Alex Mezynski during a change of command ceremony here, July 14, 2014.

Armagost comes to the 5th BW from Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, where he was the vice commander of the 36th Wing. As vice commander, Armagost was responsible for the well being of more than 8,500 military and civilian Airmen on Andersen AFB. He also conducted Pacific Command's continuous bomber presence, theater security packages, and contingency response operations from Andersen AFB.

Armagost is accustomed to long range bombers, having served as commander of the 13th Bomb Squadron, Whiteman Air Force Base, M.O. Though he has many flying hours in the B-2 Spirit and the B-52 Stratofortress, Armagost started his career flying the F-16 Fighting Falcon.

Though Armagost has had a diverse career that has taken him all over the world, he expressed his excitement at the opportunity to lead the men and women of Minot AFB.

"I want to express my gratitude for the opportunity to lead this wing," said Armagost.

Presiding over the change of command was Maj. Gen. Scott Vander Haam, Eighth Air Force commander, who spoke highly of Armagost as the new 5th BW commander.

"With this change of command, the 5th Bomb Wing is still in the most capable of hands," said Vander Haam. "I have the utmost trust, faith, and confidence that you will continue to develop our Airmen into the future leaders they will be."