The Nellis Air Force Base, Nev., community welcomed the new commander of the U.S. Air Force Warfare Center, Maj. Gen. Charles Corcoran, during an assumption of command ceremony July 12, 2019, in the Thunderbird hangar.

Gen. Mike Holmes, commander of the Air Combat Command, presided over the ceremony.

“To the Airmen of the Warfare Center represented by the folks here in this crowd, I want to tell you to get ready because you’re about to learn more about yourself than maybe you have in the past,” said Holmes. “You’re going to learn how to do more. You’re going to learn how to be more. You’re going to learn how to achieve more. And you’re going to do that because General Corcoran has a unique ability to empower the people he works with and the people who work for him, to inspire them in what they can do, and to help them become the best versions of themselves so they can pass that down to their Airmen.”

Corcoran received his commission from the U.S. Air Force Academy in 1992. He is a graduate of the U.S. Air Force Weapons School and a command pilot with more than 3,100 flying hours, which includes 440 combat flying hours. Prior to arriving at Nellis, he served as the director of Operations, Strategic Deterrence and Nuclear Integration at Headquarters U.S. Air Forces in Europe and Air Forces Africa at Ramstein Air Base, Germany.

“Ultimately, what we do is provide options for our nation’s leaders and bargaining chips for our nation’s diplomats,” said Corcoran during his first speech to the USAFWC. “So, when our diplomats are sitting at the no-fail poker table of diplomacy, they always have the biggest stack of chips and the best deck of cards. And that, ladies and gentlemen, prevents adversaries from wanting to mess with us. That preserves peace, and that’s what our job is all about.”

In closing, Corcoran vowed devotion to his new Airmen and the future of the Center.

“I assure you, we will continue to inspire the next generation of Airmen, we will continue work with our sister services, our allies and our industry partners to make sure we continue to push the boundaries further and faster, and we remain the greatest Air Force the world has ever seen,” said Corcoran.

The USAFWC conducts operational testing and tactics development programs as well as advanced training schools, exercises and venues for America’s Airmen.

As the commander, Corcoran will oversee four wings, two named units and one detachment with more than 11,000 Airmen serving in the 57th Wing, 53rd Wing, 99th Air Base Wing, 505th Command and Control Wing, the Nevada Test and Training Range and the Air Force Joint Test Program Office.