Lt. Gen. Cox assumes command of 18th AF

by Master Sgt. Thomas J. Doscher
18th Air Force Public Affairs

10/20/2015 - SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, Ill.  -- Gen. Carlton D. Everhart II, Air Mobility Command commander and former 18th AF commander, presided over a ceremony today in which Lt. Gen. Samuel Cox assumed command of 18th Air Force.

Everhart said Cox's leadership and the dedication of the men and women of 18th Air Force will allow the command to reach new heights.

"Those Total Force Airmen... Active Duty, Guard, Reserve and civilian, make up the largest numbered air force in the greatest air force the world has ever known," Everhart said. "It is now your charge and challenge to lead them."

As 18th AF commander, Cox will lead Air Mobility Command's operational mission as Air Forces Transportation, the air component of U.S. Transportation Command. He is responsible for the command's worldwide operational mission of providing rapid, global mobility and sustainment for America's armed forces through airlift, aerial refueling, aeromedical evacuation, and contingency response. Additionally, Cox also commands Task Force 294, which oversees Air Force tanker operations in support of U.S. Strategic Command.

"I look forward to leading and working alongside our mobility warriors," Cox said. "We are blessed to have amazing Airmen who are incredibly talented, and I am honored and privileged to be back as part of this amazing team."

Cox comes to 18th AF from the Pentagon where he served as Deputy Chief of Staff for Manpower, Personnel and Services. His prior assignments include multiple operational assignments in Air Mobility Command, commander of the 436th Airlift Wing and the 618th Air and Space Operations Center (Tanker Airlift Control Center) and Director of Operations and Plans at USTRANSCOM.

"I know what the Airmen of 18th Air Force are capable of," Cox said. "We will certainly face new and different challenges in the future, but I know our Total Force Airmen will rise to the occasion, and together, we will succeed - just like they have done for decades."

With approximately 37,000 active-duty, Guard, Reserve and civilians Airmen and approximately 1,100 aircraft, the 18th Air Force manages the global air mobility enterprise through the 618th Air Operations Center (Tanker Airlift Control Center) , 11 wings and two stand-alone groups.