Eglin commander bids farewell

  • Published
  • By Jasmine Porterfield
  • 96th Test Wing Public Affairs

Dedicated, selfless and innovative were traits Brig. Gen. Evan Dertien attributed to the Airmen he led as the 96th Test Wing and installation commander.

The wing is currently executing more than 400 different test projects while supporting eight wing and wing equivalents and 35-plus mission partners. For Dertien, understanding the breadth of the 96th TW mission and staying engaged to ensure everyone gets the support they need is a crucial balance to accomplishing every mission here.

During his third Eglin assignment, this time as the leader of the Air Force’s largest installation, the 26-year veteran balanced the wing’s test and evaluation mission while providing support to mission partners – all in the wake of unforeseen circumstances.

What stood out the most for the commander was how wing personnel consistently overcame adversity, all the while continuing to meet the mission’s needs.

“Seeing people rise to challenges was absolutely awe-inspiring,” he said. “My proudest moments were seeing how everyone pitched in to get the unexpected done.”

On the heels of his start as the 96th TW commander here in July 2017, a fire broke out at the McKinley Climatic Laboratory. Eglin Fire personnel quickly contained the flames while 96th Medical Group teams set up decontamination kits to treat Airmen affected by heat and smoke exposure.

He noted the same willingness to respond when multiple storm systems threatened the installation over the course of his tenure. In 2017, the 96th TW housed more than 300 Federal Emergency Management Agency personnel in the wake of Hurricane Irma, enabling critical search and rescue capabilities to be staged closer possible impact areas.

When Tyndall Air Force Base, situated just shy of 90 miles from Eglin, suffered a direct hit from Hurricane Michael in October 2018, wing Airmen jumped to help impacted personnel and their families before the skies cleared.

“People from every organization were reaching out to help,” he said.

Wing helicopters flew to Tyndall immediately to provide water to the storm ride-out team. The test wing also delivered fuel and set up medical assistance. Eglin’s Airman and Family Readiness staff provided more than $6 million in aid from the Air Force Assistance Fund to affected Airmen and their families. The support continues today, touching every organization on Eglin, said Dertien.

The commander also managed the immense task of hosting and imbedding Tyndall’s F-22 pilot training mission into existing Eglin operations - part of a temporary mission shift while Tyndall rebuilds. In the following months after the Category 5 storm hit, he welcomed F-22s, T-38s and the personnel to support those missions and their families.

“I don’t think anyone expected within two months of the hurricane [Tyndall personnel] would be producing F-22 pilots again,” he said. “The strategic impacts are significant – getting F-22 training back in action was hugely important.”

Under his leadership, the wing also launched the Air Force’s first Invisible Wounds Clinic and later broke ground on the Intrepid Spirit Center, a state-of-the-art treatment facility specializing in post-traumatic stress and traumatic brain injury.

Dertien established the 96th Cyberspace Test Group as part the wing in December 2017. The group has played a key role in advancing interoperability testing between new weapons and existing platforms, improving how data is shared between the two.

Innovation across the base has also skyrocketed. Last year alone, the 96th TW funded more than $1 million toward making Airmen’s ideas a reality. The wing is following a similar funding track this year, working more than 100 innovation concepts to improve efficiencies and capabilities across Team Eglin.

“Our National Defense Strategy has tasked us with being more ready, more lethal, and everyone here directly contributes to that initiative,” he said. “There’s no place more important to developing our nation’s lethality than Eglin Air Force Base.”

The commander also credits the local community as an integral part of Eglin’s success.

“Everything we do here depends on our community support,” he said. “I’m amazed by their unwavering dedication to our Airmen and missions.”

Whether inside or outside the gate, the general sums up his tenure here with one consistent theme: the people are the most important part of success.

“The diversity of workload here is unparalleled,” he said. “I’m absolutely amazed at what our people at the 96th TW and across Team Eglin accomplish when you give them the resources and get out of their way. They play a vital role in supporting our nation, and I’m proud to have served with them.”