AMC Safety Office of the Year
By Staff Writer
6th Air Refueling Wing Safety Office
MacDill Air Force Base, FL
THE 6TH AIR REFUELING WING SAFETY OFFICE (6 ARW) at MacDill Air Force Base, FL, has been honored as the Air Mobility Command (AMC) 2025 Safety Office of the Year. Under the leadership of Col Edward V. Szczepanik, 6 ARW set the standard for enterprise-level risk management and operational excellence through decisive leadership across high-risk, joint, and global operations.
During a Nuclear Operational Readiness Inspection, the Safety team played a critical role by validating risk mitigation strategies across twenty-nine injects. Their efforts enabled the safe generation of seven aircraft and ten alert responses without incident, clearly showcasing the Wing’s nuclear deterrence mission to AMC and Inspector General evaluators.
Beyond inspections, the 6 ARW Safety Office led enterprise-wide hazard identification and mitigation efforts. Following a fatality, the team directed a one hundred percent inspection of unsupported masonry walls across the installation, identified hazards, and provided courses of action to protect Air Traffic Control tower personnel, shielding a critical mission capability. They also revitalized the Wing’s Confined Space Program, correcting fire and bioenvironmental shortfalls and resulting in zero findings during the fiscal year 2025 Headquarters AMC Safety Program Evaluation.
Operationally, the Safety Office oversaw thousands of munitions movements, expanded inspection facility capacity by 345 percent, and enabled joint and coalition operations supporting the U.S. European Command, Central Command, and Ukrainian aid. Their leadership extended globally, including deployment to Exercise Resolute Force Pacific 2025, where they safeguarded fifty-four hundred personnel and assets across seven locations while contributing key inputs to deployed safety doctrine.
Through proactive outreach, mishap reduction initiatives, and deliberate risk integration, the 6 ARW Safety Office reduced mishaps and hazards by forty-eight percent year over year. Their sustained excellence directly enhanced readiness, protected lives, and reinforced AMC’s ability to execute its most demanding missions safely.