ROBINS AIR FORCE BASE, Ga. -- Col. Johari Hemphill assumed command as the 18th Robins Installation and 78th Air Base Wing commander from Col. Deedrick Reese during a change of command ceremony at Robins Air Force Base, Georgia, July 8, 2025.
Held at the Museum of Aviation's Century of Flight Hangar, the event was presided over by Lt. Gen. Stacey Hawkins, Air Force Sustainment Center commander, who oversaw the passing of the unit guidon, marking the transfer of positional authority from Reese to Hemphill.
“Robins continues to be an exemplar of mission excellence for our United States Air Force,” Hawkins said.
The change of command, a tradition dating back to the Middle Ages to symbolize the transfer of authority and ensuring a continuous chain of command, allowed Airmen, family and friends to witness the transfer of leadership from Reese to Hemphill.
Serving previously as 22nd Mission Support Group commander at McConnell AFB, Kansas, Hemphill, as Robins installation commander, will be responsible for the safety, security, morale and welfare of more than 22,000 Team Robins personnel and 28,000 local dependents and retirees across more than 50 mission partners, leading over 2,700 personnel assigned to three groups, a communications directorate, an operations support squadron, a comptroller squadron and 17 wing staff agencies.
"From my first steps on this installation, it was clear that the 78th has a legacy of excellence,” Hemphill said. “I am committed to carrying that legacy forward with a clear-eyed focus on sustaining and improving the capabilities that will ensure our wing and our Air Force remain ready and relevant."
During his welcoming speech, Hemphill outlined his vision for Team Robins and the surrounding community.
"Together, we will build on the strong foundation already laid and push toward a future where Team Robins remains a strategic hub for combat power projection and warfighter support," Hemphill said.
"Team Robins is on the leading edge of today’s war fight, and your selfless service and sacrifice will ensure we carry on by taking the fight to the enemy on our terms," Hemphill continued. "My focus is simple: mission readiness, Robins proud culture, and Team Robins community. All of which align with our theme: 'Team Robins - Robins Ready, Robins Proud’.”
Hemphill, a Philadelphia native, was commissioned through the Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte in May 2000, after earning a Bachelor of Arts in History.
Hemphill’s prior assignments include serving at the Department of State, Headquarters U.S. Air Force and the Defense Logistics Agency, in addition to serving in various leadership and support roles across numerous Air Force installations. He has also deployed in support of Operations Iraqi Freedom, Enduring Freedom and New Dawn.
For his numerous accomplishments during his tenure, including the ‘Robins 2041’ initiative to modernize the base and to meet future demands by its 100th anniversary, Reese was awarded the Legion of Merit.
Reese will go on to become the AFSC deputy commander at Tinker AFB, Oklahoma City.