Alaska Air National Guard's 176th Wing Changes Command as Groat Succeeds Armstrong
JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska — The Alaska Air National Guard's 176th Wing held a change-of-command ceremony on November 8 in Anchorage, Alaska. Col. Jeremy Groat succeeded Brig. Gen. Joshua Armstrong as wing commander, while Chief Master Sgt. Eric Shinsato succeeded Chief Master Sgt. Timothy Stone as the wing's command chief.
Groat and Shinsato previously served together as the command team of the 176th Operations Group and now both move up to lead the wing. Armstrong and Stone will retire after 32 and 30 years of military service, respectively.
The 176th Wing is one of the largest wings in the Air National Guard, with more than 1,500 airmen carrying out airlift, rescue and other missions. At the ceremony, Armstrong highlighted the role of the wing's 144th Airlift Squadron in rescue operations after Typhoon Halong devastated western Alaska in 2025. The wing said the handover marks the formal start of the new command team, and that readiness and community rescue missions will continue.
Source: Alaska National Guard
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 阿拉斯加空军国民警卫队第176联队 C-17 运输机机组2025年10月在台风 Halong 过后疏散阿拉斯加西部居民。（Staff Sgt. Joseph Moon 摄，公共领域，经 Wikimedia Commons）
