617th AOC stands up
Seventeenth Air Force Commander Maj. Gen. Ron Ladnier (left), and 617th Air and Space Operations Center Commander Col. Andy Redmond (right) unfurl the 617th flag at an activation ceremony May 29 at Ramstein while AOC Superintendant Senior Master Sgt. Mike Topps assists. The ceremony marked the official standup of the AOC, the nerve center for command and control within 17th AF, the air component for U.S. Africa Command. The 617th AOC will oversee all air operations in the African area of activity. (USAF photo by Master Sgt. Jim Fisher)