FORT SAM HOUSTON, Texas –
After spending five and a half of his last seven years in San Antonio, Brig. Gen. Leonard Patrick, the first commander of the 502nd Air Base Wing and Joint Base San Antonio, will be moving on to take command of 2nd Air Force at Keesler Air Force Base, Miss., after his change of command ceremony July 18.
Brig. Gen. Theresa C. Carter will assume command of the 502nd ABW and JBSA, after serving as Director of Installations and Mission Support, Headquarters Air Mobility Command at Scott AFB, Ill.
As Patrick prepares to transfer leadership of the unique joint-service command to his successor, he took time recently to reflect on the unique experiences associated in standing up such an expansive venture, which supports more than 80,000 full-time personnel, 145,000 students and a retiree community of more than 250,000. The general said the biggest initial challenge was communication.
"The terminologies and procedures at the installations were very different. The Lackland culture was different from Randolph, and Fort Sam Houston was different from both of them," he said.
"For example, before the garrison became the mission support group, we put the emergency responders from the three installations together and exercised a rehearsal of concept drill on how we would perform command and control for the 502nd ABW during a crisis," Patrick related.
"After about 10 minutes, garrison representatives put their hands up and said they didn't have any idea of what we were talking about," the general said. "We quickly discovered what we in the Air Force call, 'base operations,' which is the building on the flightline and the organization that controls airfield operations, is what the Army says is 'everything inside the fenceline' to support the installation.
"What we were calling a command post, they were calling the installation control center. What we were calling the crisis action team, they didn't even have a term for. We were talking past each other," Patrick said. "I realized we had a lot of homework to do in learning the Army culture, just so we could support our mission partners, let alone transfer the garrison into a mission support group."
Patrick said each installation now has a better understanding of the others.
"It has taken constant communication," he said. "It's not just a culture of Army, Air Force, Navy and Marines. It's overcoming the ways business was done for years to arrive at outcomes in different ways. We're trying to standardize those procedures."
The general said he's been impressed by the support of the different services and especially the wide variety of mission partners under the JBSA umbrella.
"I'm really proud of my Army mission partners and the job they do every day," Patrick said. "I've learned that although there are service differences, the cultures are very compatible. My mission partners go out of their way to thank our folks, tell them they're doing a good job. And my Air Force mission partners know the only way they're going to be successful in their mission, is if I do my job effectively."
"We've been fighting and training as a joint team for years," he said. "Because of how interconnected we are here in San Antonio, we are learning how to be more joint, not only in military operations, but in support to civic opportunities as well."
The general is quick to assure personnel throughout JBSA that leadership is still trying to maintain service cultures, and honor the heritage of each installation.
Patrick said his successor is well suited for the job.
"General Carter has extensive experience in joint basing," he said. "She has been the Air Mobility Command's director of installation mission support, so she is the intermediate authority in the joint management structure of three major joint bases already. She is intimately involved in operational issues of joint basing. She's also been a former wing commander.
"The missions we support in JBSA are complex. They are regional and global. However, we support and have a direct affect on the quality of the each service because of the several technical training pipelines we support, not only for Airmen, but Soldiers, Sailors, and Marines as well," Patrick added.
The general said he felt his greatest success was building trust with the wing's mission partners, establishing communications lines and giving each a voice in how they were supported.
"Joint basing is a process. We will constantly look for enterprise solutions, and take the best of what we find," he said. "For instance, the Army has a command regulation that states the responsibilities of the senior mission commander and the garrison commander. There isn't one in the Air Force. I want to create one for joint basing so my mission partners and folks within the wing have, in writing, what their responsibilities are."
"There's a lot left to do, but we've come a long way in the last two years," Patrick said. "When (former AETC commander) Gen. (Stephen) Lorenz handed me the flag two years ago, I had a staff of six. Since then, we've created a full-up organization that not only is effective, but we are also finding efficiencies and creating savings. The senior military leaders in San Antonio have given us every opportunity to succeed."
Patrick said he looks forward to the challenges in leading 2nd Air Force.
"With the experience the Air Force has given me, they have set me up to succeed," he said. "I was the Deputy Director of Operations for Technical Training on the AETC staff, and a training wing commander. As the 2nd Air Force commander, I'll use those skill sets to lead 2nd Air Force."
"I'm looking forward to watching the incredible men and women in Second Air Force continue to create Airmen, and trained Airmen, Soldiers, Sailors, and Marines for the warfighter, and to build coalition partners."
The general said what he will miss the most are the people he's worked with.
"I'm going to miss the people that are in the wing at all the installations. I will miss the city of San Antonio and the people in the city," Patrick said. "In my 30-year career, I've never seen a community embrace the military the way San Antonio does.
"It's been my honor and privilege to stand up the 502nd ABW and JBSA, and serve as the first commander. I've enjoyed the two years, and it's gone by way too fast. The progress we've made has just been tremendous. I want to thank not only the senior leaders in the military community, Gen. (Edward A.) Rice and Lt. Gen. (Guy) Swan, but also Mayor Julian Castro and all the civic and industry leaders for making Joint Base San Antonio a raging success."