New air base group commander focuses on teamwork, supporting the mission

  • Published
  • By Sarah Olaciregui
  • 66th Air Base Group Public Affairs
HANSCOM AIR FORCE BASE, Mass. --  Col. Stacy L. Yike, commander of the newly activated 66th Air Base Group, has two priorities: the mission and the people who make it happen.

"These priorities certainly aren't new to anyone who has been around the Air Force," she said. "They form the foundation that we all live by. Hanscom is full of experts who already know how to accomplish the mission, so my part is easy. I get to ensure the people have what they need to take care of themselves and take care of the mission."

While Colonel Yike has served in diverse roles throughout her career, in each of them she has served as a translator - not just interpreting language, as she did in Portugal as an Olmsted scholar, but also conveying user requirements to engineers as she did while working satellite programs. While serving with the Joint Chiefs of Staff, she worked with Western European allies to build the coalition in support of Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom. On Air Staff she developed the Air Force message on the space budget priorities.

Being a commander is different, Colonel Yike said. Her experience includes commanding the 338th Training Squadron at Keesler Air Force Base, Miss., where she led 200 personnel in the training of 5,000 Airmen annually to develop communications-electronic systems maintainers for the Air Force.

"You can't compare command to any other assignment, but my 'translator' skills come in handy by helping individuals understand how their job contributes toward fulfilling the overall mission," Colonel Yike explained. "Our mission here at Electronic Systems Center is to build communication systems and take that capability to the Warfighter. The 66th Air Base Group exists to make sure the ESC mission is realized. We as a base must be very tightly integrated, and I want to continue to drive towards that. Seeing our individual missions as supporting each other, and not just as individual contributions, helps us better support the overall Air Force mission."

One of the near term challenges to accomplish the mission will be resources. Colonel Yike adds that the perspective of fiscal shortages is not just a Hanscom issue or even an Air Force issue, but one that most Americans are facing today.

"We are figuring out at an individual level how to manage the resources we have within our own families," she said. "The Air Force mission is no different. As stewards of the American tax dollar, we have to make sure we're doing our part."

Colonel Yike's guiding principle is to engage in activities that make a difference.

"That is the reason I have remained in Air Force all these years," she said. "I always felt like I was doing something that mattered."

The colonel is also excited about living in the Boston area.

"I enjoy getting out in the national parks. I love spending time on the shore. I am a huge fan of seafood and Italian dishes," she said. "I don't even mind the cold weather, although I reserve the right to change my mind after my first winter."

Colonel Yike knows that the local communities are deeply rooted in the nation's history and she sees the support for the military everywhere she goes. She is ready to work with local community leaders and participate in the many traditions in and around the base.

"I look forward to being a part of Hanscom Air Force Base and contributing to the mission that makes a difference in our Air Force and our nation."