PETERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Colo. -- The 302nd Operations Group welcomed their new commander during a change of command ceremony, July 11, here. Lt. Col. Bradley Ross, 302nd Operations Group chief of aerial firefighting, assumed command of the 302 OG from Col. Gregory Berry as of June 6.
As the commander, Ross will oversee three squadrons: the 34th Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron, 302nd Operations Support Squadron and the 731st Airlift Squadron.
Ross applauded Berry’s leadership and the successes the group had while under his command and said he looks forward to seeing how far he can lead the group in the future. He, along with the 302 AW leadership, believe it is a commander’s job to take care of the people in order for the mission to succeed.
“It’s my job to provide support and resources to everyone to be able to get the mission done whether it is manning, money, training and all other resources that go into it,” said Ross. “If you take care of the people then they will take care of the mission.”
Additionally, Ross presented three expectations as the new commander. The expectations were passed on to him from a prior wing commander and mentor, and he plans to continue using this method while in command of the 302 OG.
The first expectation is to be proficient in the airplane or know the job and do it well. The second is to be deployable and provide forces to the combatant commanders when needed. The last one is treat each other with dignity and respect, and take care of each other. Help each other take care of the mission, he said.
Ross is responsible for operational readiness for global, tactical airland and airdrop missions, the Modular Airborne Fire Fighting System and aeromedical evacuation mission in the C-130 Hercules aircraft.