The U.S. Air Combat Command welcomed its new commander, Air Force Gen. James Holmes, during a ceremony at Joint Base Langley-Eustis in Virginia, according to the Air Force.



Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David Goldfein presided over the change of command ceremony on Friday as Holmes assumed command from Gen. Herbert "Hawk" Carlisle, who is retiring from the Air Force after 39 years of service.



"I feel intense pride at what our ACC Airmen accomplish every single day across the globe," Carlisle said.



The ceremony, held in the 94th Fighter Squadron hangar at JBLE, included civilian and military dignitaries and community leaders. Acting Fir Force Secretary Lisa Disbrow, numbered Air Force and wing commanders and former Air Force Secretary Whit Peters, who served under former President Bill Clinton, attended as honored guests.



Before his new role with ACC, Holmes served as deputy chief of staff for strategic plans and requirements at Air Force headquarters in Washington, D.C.



Holmes commissioned as an officer through the Air Force Officer Training School in 1981 after earning a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering from the University of Tennessee. As a command pilot, he has more than 4,000 flight hours, including more than 500 combat hours in the F-15A/B/C/D/E, and has also flown the T-38, T-37 and T-1A.



In his new role as commander, this is Holmes' fifth assignment within ACC, with his last assignment as commander of the 27th Fighter Squadron from May 1999 to July 2000.



"We now face new and revised challenges from both great and regional powers who threaten the survival of our American experiment, seek to isolate us from our friends and allies and hope to redefine the world on their terms," Holmes said. "Our success and survival as a nation in the face of these threats are not guaranteed - it depends on all Americans to uphold ideals and make our union more perfect, but certainly depends on the capabilities you bring as part of a joint team," he said.



Holmes ended his address to the crowd with optimistic tone.



"Yes, it's a dangerous world and it grows more dangerous every day, but we will not be afraid, we will instead be ready. We will be ready to deter our enemies by demonstrating with certainty that we can defeat them."



