HILL AIR FORCE BASE, Utah -- Col. Robert Kongaika assumed command of the 388th Maintenance Group during a ceremony here Monday.
Kongaika comes to the 388th after serving as the 325th Maintenance Group commander at Tyndall Air Force Base, Fla since March 2023 where he helped with the standup of three F-35 Fighter Generation Squadrons.
As the 388th MXG commander, Kongaika will lead approximately 1,600 Airmen across six squadrons who maintain 78 F-35A lighting IIs.
“This is the guy to continue the job that we’ve started here,” said Col. Michael Gette, 388th Fighter Wing commander. “He’s going to be leading the best Airmen, maintaining and sustaining the nations most advanced fighter aircraft. This is a really good place to be stationed, an awesome mission, and we’re glad to have him.”
A graduate of Brigham Young University, Kongaika is a career maintenance officer who has served as a squadron commander three times, served as a Joint Security Assistance Officer at the U.S. Embassy in Cairo, Egypt, and is a graduate of the National Defense College in New Delhi, India
“I want to ensure that we continue to deliver F-35 dominance anytime, anywhere,” Kongaika said. “I pledge to provide you with the training, tools, technical data, time and top-cover necessary to maintain the world’s most dominant F-35 fleet. You deserve it as much as our nation demands it.”