New commander at Expeditionary Center Published Aug. 2, 2016 Expeditionary Center Public Affairs JOINT BASE MCGUIRE-DIX-LAKEHURST, NEW JERSEY -- The guidon of the U.S. Air Force Expeditionary Center passed to its newest commander in a ceremony here Aug. 2. Maj. Gen. Christopher Bence brings 30 years of experience to the position as he takes over for Maj. Gen. Frederick Martin. Air Mobility Command commander Gen. Carlton D. Everhart II presided over the ceremony. "The guidon is small and it is light, but it carries a heavy burden of leadership, borne of responsibility to make difficult decisions with imperfect information and unknown outcomes,” Everhart said. “The responsibility is great and the burden is heavy, but, I’ll tell you, Chris Bence is the right Airman to carry this guidon forward." After taking the guidon, Bence delivered a message to his 14,000 new Airmen. “To the outstanding Airmen of the Expeditionary Center, I ask all of you to continue to care for your Airmen and their families, execute the mission to the best of your ability and be the role model for our Air Force and Air Mobility Command,” Bence said. "We are the world’s greatest Air Force, powered by Airmen and fueled by innovation.” Bence comes to the Expeditionary Center after serving as the vice commander of the 3rd Air Force and 17th Expeditionary Air Force at Ramstein Air Base, Germany. Prior to that, he served as the director of U.S. Air Forces in Europe-United Kingdom, at Royal Air Force Mildenhall, England. Bence's experience working with European partners will pay dividends as the Expeditionary Center has direct oversight for a global en route structure that relies heavily upon European collaboration. The Expeditionary Center, located at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, New Jersey, is the Air Force's center of excellence for advanced mobility and combat support training and education.