Command changes at Luke next week

Col. Kurt F. Neubauer will assume command of the 56th Fighter Wing at  Luke Air Force Base during a change-of-command ceremony 9 a.m. Wednesday.

He replaces Brig. Gen. Noel T. Jones.

Neubauer is the commander of the11th Wing, Bolling Air Force Base, Washington, D.C. He is a command pilot with more than 3,350 flying hours in the F-16, including combat operations over Iraq.

Jones is moving on to become the deputy chief of the Central Security Service, National Security Agency, in Maryland.

Under his leadership, Luke has graduated graduated more than 400 F-16 pilots and 470 crew chiefs annually while deploying mission-ready warfighters. He is a command pilot with more than 3,500 flying hours, including combat sorties over Iraq in Operations Southern Watch, Desert Fox and Iraqi Freedom.