Brig. Gen. Randy P. Oakland assumed command of the nation’s largest joint base – Joint Base San Antonio and the 502nd Air Base Wing Wednesday during a change of command ceremony at JBSA–Randolph.
Oakland was previously the director of operations and communications at Headquarters Air Education and Training Command at JBSA-Randolph.
As his first address to JBSA, Oakland recognized the hard work and dedication done by the wing and community partners.
“I’m very proud to serve the 502nd Air Base Wing and the community of Joint Base San Antonio,” Oakland said. “I think I’ve got a great foundation to start with from my predecessor [Brig. Gen. Russell Driggers]. This is an awesome community, an awesome opportunity and I’m excited to get going.”
As Oakland assumes his role as the eighth commander of JBSA, he will lead the Department of Defense’s largest and most complex base, managing an annual budget of more than $800 million, according to the public affairs office. The commander also works with 1,000 civic leaders in San Antonio and provides installation support for 10 major commands, 22 wings and brigades, 266 mission partners and 684,306 personnel.
Driggers relinquished command after two years of leading the base. On July 10, he was nominated by President Joe Biden for a promotion to major general; the nomination is subject to approval by the U.S. Senate.
During the change of command ceremony, Driggers also addressed the crowd of 500, which included service members and civilians from across JBSA, civic and community key leaders, and the leadership’s family and friends.
“I’ve known General Oakland for a long time and you will find no better leader to take the helm. He is most definitely the right leader at the right time,” Driggers said.
Driggers’s ‘follow-on’ assignment is Deputy Director of U.S. European Command (EUCOM) Plans and Operations Directorate in Stuttgart, Germany.
With an annual economic impact exceeding $55 billion, JBSA majorly contributes to San Antonio’s economy. JBSA and the 502nd Air Base Wing is comprised of JBSA-Fort Sam Houston, JBSA-Lackland, JBSA-Randolph, and eight other operating locations. The wing provides oversight for major Department of Defense projects, facilities and infrastructure worth more than $37 billion.
In Oakland’s previous position, he provided “initial skills, undergraduate flying, post graduate combat crew and supplemental training for more than 300,00 Air Force, joint and international personnel at 65 Air Force and Department of Defense locations,” according to the Air Force website.
Commissioned in 1996, Oakland holds master’s degrees from Trident University International and the School of Advanced Air and Space Studies, as well as a doctorate in philosophy and military strategy from Air University. He is also a command pilot, holding more than 2,600 hours in the F-15C/D, T-37 and T-38.
