Edwards Air Force Base commander promoted to brigadier general

The commander of Edwards Air Force Base officially rose to the rank of brigadier general on Friday following his nomination by President Joe Biden earlier this year.

Douglas P. Wickert, who had been a colonel prior to Friday's promotion ceremony, has served as the commander of the Air Force's 412th Test Wing at Edwards, as well as the Plant 42 facilities in Palmdale, since August of 2023. He commands more than 8,000 personnel charged with developing and testing the nation's most leading-edge aircraft and weaponry.

The new general said he was grateful to be able to continue serving the nation.

"We're living in a time of consequence," he said. "I have to say 'thank you' to everyone who's doing something right now. The way of life as we know it, the global peace and prosperity that has existed since Word War II, the existing international rules-based order, that is under threat right now."

Wickert said the current geopolitical conditions make the work done by the Air Force, and the aviation innovators and test pilots at Edwards Air Force Base, more crucial than ever.

"Chairman Xi (Jinping) sees the west in long term decline, and he sees the East, and specifically the Chinese Communist Party, in ascendency," he said.

"Our air force has never been smaller or older than it is right now. The (People's Liberation Army) has never been larger or more modern than it is right now," he continued. "I know what you guys are doing on a daily basis... and we have an opportunity to change Chairman Xi's calculus on the basis of what you guys are developing right now. And that's what we're doing."

Wickert was nominated to become a general by President Joe Biden in April and confirmed by the U.S. Senate the following month.

He received his oath of office during Friday's ceremony from his father, retired U.S. Air Force Col. Roger Wickert. The stars, signifying the rank of general, were pinned on his shoulders by his wife, Jody Wickert, and his mother, Nancy Wickert.

Also watching the ceremony online were the brigadier general's three children, two of whom are serving in the Air Force, as well as his 100-year-old grandmother, event master of ceremonies Maj. Stephen Sullivan.

Prior to taking command over Edwards Air Force Base, Brig. Gen. Wickert most recently served as Permanent Professor and Head of the Department of Aeronautics at the U.S. Air Force Academy.

He was first commissioned in 1995 as a distinguished graduate from the U.S. Air Force Academy, officials said.

"He has commanded at the squadron and group levels and served in a variety of technology development and program management assignments," according to a USAF statement. "(He) is a distinguished graduate of the US Naval Test Pilot School and holds advanced engineering degrees from MIT and AFIT. He is a command pilot with combat time and over 2,000 flying hours in more than 40 different aircraft."

Maj. General Scott A. Cain, who commands the Air Force Test Center said he has known Wickert for nearly 30 decades, since both were in the Air Force Academy.

From the Academy, to combat in the skies over Iraq, to his time as a professor, "He turned the enterprise on its head everywhere he went," Cain said.

"He's a passionate leader, he cares about people, he loves the mission and he gets it done," he said.

In addition to many military colleagues, Wickert thanked his family, and particularly his wife, for supporting him in his career.

"Nothing can be infinite in a finite universe," he said. "The closes thing I know is the support, the love, and over all the patience that Jody has shown over the years."

This article originally appeared on Victorville Daily Press: Edwards Air Force Base commander promoted to brigadier general