Col. Thomas Bergeson has been selected to command the 3rd Wing at Elmendorf AFB, Alaska, after the untimely death of Brig. Gen. Thomas Tinsley, the unit’s previous commander, from a gunshot wound at his on-base residence on July 27. Bergeson will formally assume command on Aug. 18. He served most recently as chief of the aviation division in Multi-National Forces Iraq from May 2007 to May 2008. The Associated Press reported on Aug. 5 (via the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner) that Bergeson was preparing to take over command of the 4th Fighter Wing at Seymour-Johnson AFB, N.C., when he was picked to be Tinsley’s replacement. Col. Richard Walberg became the acting 3rd Wing commander immediately after Tinsley’s death. Once Bergeson is in place, Walberg will serve as the wing’s vice commander. (Includes Elmendorf report by A1C David Carbajal)
The Air Force overall reduced its size by 120 aircraft in fiscal year 2021, but kept about the same number of fighter, bomber and attack aircraft, according to data supplied by the service. The F-35 fleet saw the biggest increase while the B-1B bomber fleet saw the largest decline.