TINKER AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. -- Gen. Gregory Guillot, commander, North American Aerospace Defense Command and U.S. Northern Command, returned to Tinker Air Force Base Apr. 26, 2024, to spend time with the 552nd Air Control Wing.
The purpose of Guillot’s visit was to reconnect with the Airmen of America’s Wing and thank them for their dedication to the defense of the nation. During the visit, he toured maintenance areas and observed the work being done to keep the E-3 Airborne Warning and Control System flying.
During an all-call with Airmen, Guillot spoke about increasingly complex security threats facing North America and the value the 552nd ACW brings to the fight as part of homeland defense.
“If you’re in the business of homeland defense, your job is to protect the country against all of these threats that are growing and growing by the day,” said Guillot.
Guillot added, “So, if that’s your job, do you really have any other standard than the best? How successful would you be if you were the second best in the world at homeland defense – not really good. For the 552, regardless of which group or what role you play in the 552 mission, best is the standard.”
Guillot has spent a lot of time at the 552nd ACW as he was stationed with the wing from 1998 in various positions to include chief of weapons and tactics, director of operations 966th Airborne Air Control Squadron, commander of the 965th Airborne Air Control Squadron, and wing commander from 2012-2013.
With such deep roots in the wing, Guillot is already familiar with the mission of the 552nd ACW and its assets and how important the wing is to the homeland defense mission. The 552nd ACW plays a crucial role within NORAD’s and USNORTHCOM’s larger mission of providing aerospace warning, aerospace control, and maritime warning for North America.
The 552nd ACW provides combat-ready theater battle management forces and mobile command, control, and communications at the direction of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. It deploys, operates, and supports these forces worldwide ensuring combat capability for all peacetime and contingency operations.