It’s an honor and a privilege to sit down with either of the wing commanders at Minot Air Force Base. But for a reporter to be able to have a conversation with both Col Jesse Lamarand and Col Jimmy Schlabach within a week of each other; to discuss their first year as commanders of the 5th Bomb Wing and 91st Missile Wing respectively, is an opportunity that few reporters get in their career.

For Col Jesse Lamarand. We met for our first interview shortly after he had arrived in Minot. Both Col Lamarand and Col Schlabach found themselves leading the annual Minot Shrine Club 4th of July Parade. Col Schlabach had been stationed in Minot and was fresh off of his final year as Commander of the 91st Operations Group at Minot Air Force Base. But for Col Lamarand, this was his first assignment in Minot for he and his wife Nathalie. It was Col Lamarand who set the groundwork for what would be a common theme in both interviews in his opening statement. “This past year has probably been my favorite in my entire career!”

Col Lamarand paused for a minute as he reflected on my question about the past year and continued, “Getting into the seat about this time last year it was a deluge of information, it was overwhelming. One of the most overwhelming things was how the community and the base, the people who live and work up here, welcomed myself and my family. I have never had a welcome like that before. Right off the bat we (Col Lamarand and his family) felt like we were part of something big. It’s hard to put into words, the incredible mission and people that live and reside in this part of the country…it’s unlike any other. Thankfully, I had an incredible team. My front office here in combination with Mr. Elliott and the civic leaders, Brekka Kramer, Peter Hankla, Mark Jantzer and Cassidy Hjelmstad, they really went out of their way to make specific time in their incredibly busy schedules to give me the lay of the land without any expectations. I feel that I was better prepared and had a better soft landing here because of them.”

Even though Col Lamarand is commander of the 5th Bomb Wing, he is quick to point out the importance of both wings at Minot Air Force Base.

Col Lamarand: “Having 2 of the 3 legs of the nuclear triad, this is unlike any other base. There’s a different atmosphere; there’s a different approach to doing readiness exercises like Prairie Vigilance because you are working with the most powerful weapons on the planet. That (the readiness exercises) is where you started to see the expertise and the professionalism of Minot Airmen shine. We immediately jumped in to ensuring that we could get the number of jets and the number of weapons that our nation’s leaders called for. I was impressed with our approach right from the start. And then the second deluge started, and that was in October of last year when we executed Global Thunder. We did a couple of things there that we hadn’t done in the past, generating conventional jets and nuclear jets simultaneously, preparing for a Bomber Task Force that the 69th Bomb Squadron went to in November. The team was what we call max performing. Everybody, every jet…everything was falling into place and executed perfectly. Everybody was on board and executing and it went beautifully” explains Col Lamarand.

And there was an Oh By The Way caveat added with the Nuclear Surety Inspection that was just ahead in February.

Col Lamarand: “Everyone had a little bit of scar tissue from past Nuclear Surety Inspections. Any inspection of that magnitude puts a little extra stress on everyone across the base. But we came together well and we communicated well; we understood the nature of the mission. We focused on what we learned from the past, and what we need to learn for the future. We passed the Nuclear Surety Inspection with the best results we have had in at least the past 6 years. I was really proud” relates Lamarand.

“But as soon as that Nuclear Surety Inspection was over the 23rd Bomb Squadron would take their turn in a Bomber Task Force. As you can see the pace of my last 11, now almost 12 months in command has almost been non-stop, but I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

And Col Lamarand is also quick to point out the importance of the down time for his troops. “We had an incredible morale, welfare and recreation program through this time period, we had a concert series here and of course we just tried to execute our first open house since 2018. To follow that up I can say that the people who live and work here both on base and off base in the community have helped this base be successful, and I can’t thank them enough and I am really looking forward to this next year.”

So as I remember it you were asked to send off an entire squadron of jets during what is perhaps one of your most strenuous exercises, Global Thunder?
Col Lamarand: “As far back as I can tell we set a couple of precedencies here. Global Thunder is StratCom’s premiere nuclear readiness exercise, not for just B 52’s but for missiles and for subs across the United States. We are expected to bring up a certain number of jets with a certain number of weapons over a certain period of time. It’s a standalone, stop everything else, get that done exercise. And another one of those Oh By The Ways, we are also catching jets coming here from Barksdale. But there were 2 missions and we were expected to execute both missions. We did not have the luxury to focus on one mission. We were asked to commit and execute both of our missions on the nuclear side and the conventional side, obviously because of the nature of the strategic environment. But I can say that the team came together and executed one of the most difficult, dangerous and complex combat readiness exercises on one side, and the natural execution of a mission on the other, simultaneously, and we got the job done. We set a couple of records and precedencies while the 69th was overseas as far the use of weapons and tactics was concerned.

A busy year, but would you, or they, have it any other way?
Col Lamarand: “I don’t think so. I’ve been doing this for 25 years and this is the most excited I’ve ever been, with respect to being a leader at Minot Air Force Base. We are showing the world that we have the will, the skill and the capability to establish a strengthened deterrent which helps us prevent war. Win without fighting” according to Col Lamarand “and that is the ultimate mission of the men and women at Minot Air Force Base. To be as ready as we can so we can win without fighting. But if we have to go to war we will be as prepared as we have ever been.”

What has it been like working alongside of Col Schlabach? Want is that relationship like?
Col Lamarand: I couldn’t have asked for a better partner. Col Schlabach, call sign Wolf, he’s like a long lost brother of mine. He’s an incredible leader, incredibly smart, and understands deterrence at every level. Yes, he’s responsible for the 91st Missile Wing, however we both live and breathe with thousands of Airmen on this base. Sometimes it may seem like we go into a situation almost as competitors in situations where it could be, well they get this so we need that, but there is none, and I mean none of that in our case. We immediately fell in as one symbiotic mind. We both have the same site picture, and we both care deeply for the Airmen, and we both cooperate and shift priorities with the full understanding that there is no compromise happening. If I strengthen him, that strengthens me, and if he strengthens me, that strengthens him; so, the cooperation is unprecedented, and he has a wonderful, wonderful spouse and I’ve had a chance to meet his kids. The key point in making all of this happen is open communication. And a second point is that he made a considerable effort, as I have, to imbed me into what he does and I did the same for him. When a need comes up for the 91st Missile Wing I have a deeper understanding because of his efforts to explain what that means to the nuclear force, to this base and to his folks, and he’s got the same thing from me.

So, what are your goals before you leave Minot Air Force Base?
Col Lamarand: “I’ve got a couple of goals here. Increase the percentage of Airmen and their families thriving and working at home. That means us giving them the resources that they need so that they can accomplish their mission. And part 2 of that mission is to produce combat ready Airmen who are ready to fly, fight and win, deploy, maintain, sustain and defend our nation. Airmen are our most powerful asset. So, if I can increase our readiness, that’s our number one goal. And readiness is also at home with good mental health and physical health of Airmen and the facilities that they live and breathe in and the assets that they use. I also have other goals this next year. I am focusing on counter UAS defense. Part 2 is to expand our capacity to plane and plan for the air launch cruise missile replacement, ensuring that the right funding is in place, ensuring that we have the capacity to onload that when we need to, ensuring that the 219th and the 91st Missile Wing have the new Transporter Erector launch garages to make their job a little bit better in the winter. Also, a big thing is setting the stage for Sentinel years down the road. And finally, making sure that our child development center and our veterinary clinic and our medical facilities are as best as they can be.”

Col Jimmy Schlabach also had a chance to round up his first year;
Col Schlabach: “The first year? Well, I can list success after success and accolade after accolade. In hindsight we can look back and reflect that it was so easy…we won the Williams Award, we won the Omaha Trophy, we kicked the tail out of the NSI (National Surety Inspection), but reality? It was so much hard work and so much effort on the backs of our Airmen. It makes it so rewarding to look back and see our Airmen get rewarded for their hard work and their hard effort, because they put it in every day. To see them get recognized across MajCom and StratCom, that’s what’s rewarding. It’s really gratifying to see our Airmen grow and develop and then to have them receive acknowledgements for everything they do.
Chief (Command Chief Master Sergeant Becky Thomas) and I see it every day, and we are the biggest fans of them (the Airmen), but it is so rewarding to have people on the outside to see what our Airmen do and see the same thing we do. They are really that special. So, looking back over the last year it is so rewarding to see the Airmen get recognized for essentially carrying this mission on their backs.”

So all of what you just said speaks to the professionalism of the leadership and the Airmen of the 91st Missile Wing. Can you reflect a bit on that?
Col Schlabach: “All of this wouldn’t happen without the Airmen putting their nose(s) to the grindstone, and without the Airmen’s dedication, patriotism and their absolute iron will to get things done the right way, and to do the hard work that is necessary, and that’s the big thing; it looks smooth it looks like everything was so easy and that’s good because it shows all the hard work and the grind was worth it. It doesn’t just happen. I’ve been in the Air Force for almost 26 years now, and 12 month periods like we’ve (Team Minot) just gone through, those just don’t happen. It takes a lot of effort, it takes a lot of work, and it takes the big L (leadership) word…it takes leadership at every level from Junior NCO’s, front line supervisors up to the group commanders and group senior enlisted leaders; looking at folks, looking at processes, looking at what resources our folks need and advocating for them. A lot of times, honestly, it takes them being the bad guy saying what people don’t want to hear but what they need to hear, which is so important. And doing it in a way that articulates why it is so important, and that takes leaders at every level.

We have such an amazing team here. From Col Chapman, who just left, Chief (Thomas), and I wish I had words that speak highly enough of Chief Thomas. Her leadership is just so insurmountably high and her ability to look at a situation and connect with it and know how to say the right things to get the right affect through folks and to get leaders to articulate that down; I’ve never seen anyone like that, and she is amazing and what a gift she is to every Airmen in the 91st Missile Wing let alone Team Minot and me personally. That’s what it takes. It takes so much work and so much effort continuously.

You have been at Minot AFB for over 3 years, and it is possible to see growth in leadership. Touch a little more on how the process works.
Col Schlabach: “I’ve been so blessed. I was able to be a group commander here for 2 years and move 100 feet down the hall and be a wing commander and get to see that growth and development over a 3-year period. I’ve watched folks who I met when I first got here that have gotten promoted to different jobs and I have seen that growth over the 3 years. That is so gratifying to be able to see it happen. That’s one of the nice things about being in the same place for that long period of time. I’ve been able to witness it, and to be there with these folk who have gone through this journey.”

It seems that the Minot Air Force Base and the community of Minot are better connected today, more than ever. How do you see that relationship today?
Col Schlabach: “I have a great example of my vison of the Minot community and its’ relationship with the base. It goes back to February when the Vice Chief of Staff of the Air Force (Gen Jim Slife) was visiting base. He was here and we had set up a luncheon for him to sit down with community leaders and Senator Hoeven happened to be here as well. We were having lunch and Senator Hoeven was talking with the Vice Chief. Senator Hoeven related that Minot really is the gold standard for a community and a base relationship. Senator Hoeven talked through that and mentioned Task Force 21, The Mayor’s office, the local state legislators, the Chamber…and all of those things. The Vice Chief looked at Senator Hoeven and he said, Senator, I respectfully disagree with you. Minot is not the gold standard; Minot is the platinum standard.
It was really rewarding and of course I see it every day. He said what I have felt, and I have been stationed in some really, really good communities, and none of them hold a candle to Minot with the community support for the base. Not just the support, but the cooperation with the base and the community. The intertwined relationship between the base and the community is special. I have heard Brekka Kramer say it many times that Minot isn’t Minot without Minot Air Force Base, and I would turn that back around and say that Minot Air Force Base isn’t Minot Air Force Base without the community of Minot; one does not exist without the other, and you feel it every single day.

The community has certainly changed a lot since we first got here in October of 2000, but the love we felt from the local community hasn’t changed at all. I get asked so many times how can we help? This community has taught other communities about the relationship between Minot and Minot Air Force Base.

It’s been a special first year?
Col Schlabach: “We thought we had an understanding. We were able to watch now Brigadier General Select McGhee and see what he did…but we had no idea. It’s been a whirlwind, but it’s been an amazing whirlwind. And if I could brag on Monica (Schlabach) especially, she is an absolute giant, and a force that does so much for so many people and she does it quietly, behind the scenes, and she affects so many people lives in a positive way and she is such an agent for Airmen and their families in the things that they need, that they can’t advocate for themselves and accomplish. She does so much, she is everywhere, doing everything. I can’t say enough for what she does.

Sometimes I get frustrated because I want to articulate how important she is for our Airmen, their families and this mission; and I feel that I don’t ever do it justice. She does everything from running events on the weekend for local families, base wide events, we have holiday events with our defenders, after hours events like trick or treating to Month of the Military Child…oh my goodness, Monica was everywhere doing everything. She was at the schools she was down talking to the Governor and the First Lady. She was at the North Dakota Military Commission advocating to state leaders on what our Airmen’s families need; from professional hiring practices to Tri-Care and healthcare needs, to childcare needs. Them hearing it from her was so impactful because they know she’s living it, and they understand that she has been through the ringer on it and knows what it is like to try fight for the things that our families need which have an immediate and effective impact on the mission. I wish I could say adequately her importance and her value, and I don’t know that I’ll ever be able to describe it. She does do much but she does it in the wings, quietly.”

Let’s talk about the relationship between you and Col Lamarand?
Col Schlabach: The relationship between me and Col Lamarand…I’ve been extremely intentional on from day 1 because I knew how critical the relationship between the two of us is. And as luck would have it, he and I hit it off day 1. So, it’s professional, I have nothing but the utmost respect for him and it’s an honor to serve with him and call him my installation commander, because he is, and it’s an honor to be on his team professionally. Personally, like he’s my BFF and we just get along and it has worked out so well. It made the professional aspect so easy because he is such a good guy personally that makes it easy to work with him professionally.”

And the last word(s)?
Col Schlabach: “I have talked about it already, but I want to be sure that I pay respects and honor Chief Thomas as much as I possibly can. She is an amazing human being, a leader that this wing would be a shell of itself without. She and I got here about the same time last year and from Day 1 we were a team. She makes me, and I dare say I make her a better leader. We are just better leaders together. She is so passionate and so energetic and works so hard for the Airmen of this wing.
Which is the second point. The Airmen of this wing is what it is all about. Minot has the highest percentage of first term Airmen of any installation in the Air Force, meaning they are learning how to be Airmen while we give them the most critical missions in the Air Force. And what they do every single day is nothing short of heroic.
Our number one job is to serve the Airmen of this wing.