ROBINS AFB, Ga. -- Robins Air Force Base will soon be losing a member of its senior leadership team, as the command chief master sergeant will be leaving in April.

Chief Master Sgt. Kevin Ludwig, command chief master sergeant of the 78th Air Base Wing, was selected as the superintendent for the 737th Training Group at Lackland Air Force Base, Texas, and superintendent for Air Force basic military training. Including military training instructors, he will be responsible for the supervision of 469 permanent party Airmen. He will also oversee the training of all new recruits, and expects to put approximately 22,000 Airmen through training annually.

"I am very excited about this opportunity," Chief Ludwig said. "I had a previous assignment there as an instructor and I enjoy that environment. I enjoy working with the new recruits. Every assignment I have ever had has been great, but this is one assignment I have always hoped would happen."

Although he is excited about the new opportunity, he will also miss Robins. Chief Ludwig, who joined Team Robins as command chief in May 2006, said he has enjoyed the brief time he spent here. He said the challenges he faced here helped him learn and grow as a leader.

"Of all the jobs I have had in the Air Force, this one has been perhaps the most challenging and the one where I have learned the most, mainly because of the diversity of this installation," Chief Ludwig said.

He said the things he accomplished in his time as command chief were a collective effort. He is particularly pleased with how the different units throughout the base have started to come together as a team.

"Leadership has done a good job of improving unity and developing the culture that although we may work in different units and under different MAJCOMs, we all belong to the same organization, the United States Air Force," the chief said. "In the end, we all have the same goal and that is to serve our country and fight the global war on terror."

Although he was at Robins less than a year, he will be missed, especially by those who work closely with him. Col. Theresa Carter, 78th ABW commander, said the chief has done a "phenomenal job" at Robins, but agreed to release him for consideration for the BMT superintendent position and highly recommended him to the commanders at Lackland.

"When I considered this issue from a larger Air Force perspective, there is no one better qualified for that position than Chief Ludwig," Colonel Carter said. "He not only brings prior MTI experience to the table, but also has a wealth of operational experience - at the base, MAJCOM, air staff and command chief levels - that will ensure the Air Force is producing the highest quality Airmen to lead us now and over the next 20 years. It is a win for the Air Force and a win for the wing and Robins; with Chief Ludwig at the helm, we'll receive Airmen who live our core values daily and uphold the highest standards of excellence in all they do."

The commander said it's been an honor and privilege working with Chief Ludwig. She said his three previous command chief tours gave him a unique perspective to work issues across the six MAJCOMs represented at Robins and allowed him to implement solutions that will have a positive, lasting impact on the base and community.

"Throughout my career the best leaders I've seen are the ones who bring out the best in others. Chief Ludwig is that kind of leader, one who helped bring out the very best in Team Robins. His advice and counsel to me was always spot on and he will definitely be missed," Colonel Carter said.

Chief Ludwig grew up in Lockport, Ill., and entered the Air Force in July 1978. His background includes various duties in transportation and logistics readiness. He has served as a military training instructor with master MTI certification, unit career advisor, honor guard member, adjunct Airmen leadership school instructor and additional duty first sergeant. During his career, the chief has served in various assignments from squadron to Air Staff level, including two tours at major command headquarters. He also served overseas at bases in Korea, Japan, Kuwait and Southwest Asia.