FORT SMITH -- Two Arkansas Air National Guard officers took command of the 188th Wing's intelligence squadron and of the remotely piloted aircraft squadron in a ceremony Sunday at Ebbing Air National Guard Base.
Lt. Col. Jeremiah Gentry assumed command of the wing's 184th Attack Squadron, and Lt. Col. Stanley "Sonny" L. Stefancic took over as commander of the 123rd Intelligence Squadron, according to a news release from the 188th at the Fort Smith Regional Airport base.
During the ceremony, Stefancic was awarded the Meritorious Service Medal for his previous service in the intelligence field, the release said.
Lt. Col. Tina L. Lipscomb, who turned over command of the 123rd to Stefancic, also received the Meritorious Service Medal for distinguished service. Lipscomb is taking a new assignment at the Arkansas National Guard Joint Force Headquarters as director of personnel for the Air National Guard, wing spokesman Maj. Heath Allen said.
The 188th Wing is in the process of shifting to piloting the MQ-9 Reaper remotely piloted aircraft and an intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance mission after it lost its main mission of flying the A-10 Thunderbolt II.
The 100-member 184th Attack Squadron, which includes pilots and sensor operators, took on its new designation from the 184th Fighter Squadron in June.
According to the news release, Gentry is an Air Force Academy graduate and Air Force F-16 pilot who moved on to the Air National Guard. He flew the F-16 Fighting Falcon for the 524th Fighter Squadron in Operation Iraqi Freedom and the A-10 for the 184th Fighter Squadron in Operation Enduring Freedom.
He also helped develop three MQ-9 squadrons during his career, adding to his experience with the Reaper, the news release said.
Stefancic relinquished command of the wing's 223rd Intelligence Support Squadron to take command of the 123rd. It is one of four squadrons under the new 188th Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Group commanded by Col. Robert Kinney.
The 123rd, composed of 120 airmen, is responsible for conducting near real-time exploitation of imagery intelligence collected by surveillance and reconnaissance and providing combat intelligence to commanders, the release stated.
The addition of the intelligence mission to the wing includes a 50 percent increase in manpower and a transfer from Little Rock Air Force Base to Ebbing Air National Guard Base over two years.
Stefancic has served in several intelligence positions in his 24-year career. He enlisted in the Colorado Air National Guard in 1991 and received his commission in 1998.
He has deployed overseas several times, including in Operation New Dawn in Iraq and Operation Enduring Freedom. He also supported humanitarian missions, including the response for the 2007 Southern California wildfires.
Metro on 03/10/2015