Col. Karl W. Seekamp takes command at Joint Base Andrews

U.S. Air Force Col. Karl W. Seekamp took command of the 316th Wing and Joint Base Andrews from Col. Jun S. Oh during a change-of-command ceremony at the Prince George’s County installation on July 8. For residents, businesses, and local officials who deal with the base, the handoff matters because Andrews is not only a military post but one of the county’s most visible federal anchors.

Maj. Gen. Neil R. Richardson of the Air Force District of Washington and the 320th Air Expeditionary Wing presided over the ceremony. The passing of the guidon marked the formal transfer of authority and responsibility, and the event also included a change of responsibility from Chief Master Sgt. James M. Pope to Chief Master Sgt. Kevin W. Helms.

Seekamp now leads the 316th Wing, the host wing for Joint Base Andrews-Naval Air Facility Washington. His biography says the wing provides security, personnel, contracting, finance, medical, and infrastructure support for six wings, three headquarters, and more than 85 tenant organizations, while supporting about 60,000 Airmen and families in the National Capital Region and around the world. Air Force fact sheets also describe the wing as supporting five wings, three headquarters, more than 80 tenant organizations, 148 geographically separated units, and about 6,500 Airmen in the Pentagon.

The local stakes go beyond the fence line. Joint Base Andrews says its economic impact is about $1.2 billion, a figure that makes the command post relevant to county employers, contractors, and public agencies that coordinate around the installation. The base also traces its first Air Force flight to May 2, 1943, underscoring how long it has sat at the center of Maryland’s military and political geography.

Seekamp brings a background built around large-scale command and technical work. Before arriving at Andrews, he was deputy commander of the Air Force Research Laboratory at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio, where his biography says he led more than 12,500 people and managed a roughly $5 billion budget. He is an experimental test pilot and a graduate of the University of Connecticut and the U.S. Naval Test Pilot School.

At Andrews, the immediate question for Prince George’s County is not whether the mission changes, but how the new commander will shape the base’s day-to-day relationship with surrounding communities. Seekamp inherits responsibility for the world’s highest-visibility flightline, support for the president and other senior leaders, and the infrastructure, security, and coordination that keep one of the county’s most important federal installations running.