Devillier selected for assignment

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  • 88th Air Base Wing Public Affairs
WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Ohio --  Col. John Devillier, 88th Air Base Wing commander, has been selected to become the new Special Assistant to the Director of the Joint Chiefs of Staff for General Officer Matters at the Pentagon. 

Devillier will depart for this joint-service assignment in June.    

"Being a commander is the best job in the Air Force and commanding a wing is the best of the best. I've been challenged from day one in this position and loved every minute of it. My family and I could not have asked for a better location than the Miami Valley!  I know my new position will bring completely new challenges and I'm ready for the opportunity," Devillier said. 

Reductions in the operating budget raised hurdles for the organization charged with operating a base of the size and impact of Wright-Patterson. Devillier was forced to make many tough choices about aging infrastructure, maintaining a smooth traffic flow through the gates, and ensuring the safety and security of Ohio's largest single-site employer.

"I've often described the day-to-day operation of Wright-Patterson as running a small city," Devillier said. "Fortunately, I've had an awesome team in the wing to help present solutions to me. As the decision maker, you can't ask for more than that."   

Under Devillier's tenure, he expanded the Public/Private Partnership "P4" program and identified partnership opportunities with local, regional and state partners that included a resource exchange partnership with Sinclair Community College and the Buckeye Federal Health Consortium with the Veterans Affairs Medical Center and Wright-Patterson Medical Center. He also facilitated an agreement to locate a United Service Organization (USO) Center on base promoting an atmosphere that enhances Airmen health, morale, and leisure.

Colonel Bradley W. McDonald, currently Vice Commander of the 10th Air Base Wing, United States Air Force Academy, Colorado Springs, Colorado, has been selected to replace Devillier.    

He is a 1994 graduate of the Air Force Academy and has held a variety of leadership, staff, and command positions with experience at the squadron, wing, major command, and Air Staff levels as well as in the deployed environment. His experience includes serving as speechwriter to the Commander, Pacific Air Forces, as a Capitol Hill military fellow to the United States Senate Majority Whip, and as an AFIT graduate student right here at Wright-Patterson in 1997 and 1998.    

"Becoming a wing commander is an extremely high honor and I'm humbled and excited to be given the opportunity to lead the great Airmen of the 88th Air Base Wing," McDonald said. "My family and I look forward to returning to the Miami Valley and serving all of Wright Patt as well as a community known throughout the Air Force for its strong support of the military. We cannot wait to build upon the wing's tradition of excellence that has continued to flourish under Colonel Devillier's leadership," he added.

A change of command has been scheduled for June 21.  Additional details on the ceremony will be released at a later date.