Air Force Gen. Jacqueline Van Ovost, commander of U.S. Transportation Command, greets Marine Corps Brig. Gen. Michael McWilliams, who assumed command of the Joint Enabling Capabilities Command July 11, 2024, in Norfolk, Virginia. (DOD photo by Clay Farrington)
Air Force Maj. Gen. Stephen Jost relinquishes a guidon during the Joint Enabling Capabilities Command’s change of command ceremony July 11, 2024, in Norfolk, Virginia. (DOD photo by Clay Farrington)
Air Force Maj. Gen. Stephen Jost offers remarks during the Joint Enabling Capabilities Command’s change of command ceremony July 11, 2024, in Norfolk, Virginia. (DOD photo by Clay Farrington)
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SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, Ill. — The Joint Enabling Capabilities Command (JECC) welcomed a new commander Thursday, July 11, 2024, in Norfolk, Virginia.
Marine Corps Brig. Gen. Michael McWilliams assumed command of the JECC from Air Force Maj. Gen. Stephen Jost at a ceremony presided over by the commander of U.S. Transportation Command, Air Force Gen. Jacqueline Van Ovost.
The JECC, a subordinate joint command of USTRANSCOM, is the Department of Defense’s principal source of rapidly deployable professionals. It provides decisive joint communications, planning, and public affairs support to the joint force, meeting the emerging requirements of combatant commands and joint task force-capable headquarters.
“During [Jost’s] tenure, he led JECC personnel support to all 11 combatant commands with 24 real-world alert force missions and numerous exercises on almost every continent,” Van Ovost said. “Few units, if any, can boast having such a broad impact.”
McWilliams, a Pennsylvania native, thanked Jost for his work in positioning the JECC where it is today. He said he looks forward to joining a team with a “storied history and amazing reputation.”
Since 2002, JECC’s ready force has supported nearly every major U.S.-led military operation, including Operation Tomodachi (2011), Operation Inherent Resolve (2014-present), and Operation Freedom Sentinel (2015-21).
More recently, JECC elements have deployed to support U.S. European Command efforts to counter the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict.
Van Ovost said that Jost’s direction ensured that “joint force commanders supporting our critical missions to deliver munitions to Ukraine, provide humanitarian aid to Gaza and Haiti, and respond to numerous crises in the Levant and Sahel, had ready access to the capabilities required for mission success.”
According to Marshall Ramsey, JECC executive director for five years, he has seen 25 to over 125 members on mission at any given time.
“We’ve averaged 60 operational missions a year, not including Tier-1 exercises and other related activities, to all corners of the globe,” Ramsey said.
Before relinquishing command, Jost thanked the JECC team for everything they had done during his tenure.
“[This command] is so much more special to me than I ever imagined it could be,” Jost said. “Love is not too strong a word for how I feel about the people and this mission.”
Van Ovost echoed Jost’s sentiment, noting that the JECC’s reputation and legacy “is a testament to the talent of past and current members, but also a reflection of its leadership. Under Maj. Gen. Jost, this command has certainly excelled!”
With McWilliams now at the helm, Van Ovost said she trusts the JECC will continue providing world-class enabling capabilities wherever and whenever needed. She added that the team is “fortunate to have another tremendous leader ready to build upon the command’s legacy and recent successes.”
