New OO-ALC leader draws from his past, looks to the future

  • Published
  • By Mitch Shaw
  • Standard-Examiner Davis Bureau
HILL AIR FORCE BASE, Utah --  When Maj. Gen. (select) Andrew Busch first joined the Air Force, he didn't plan on staying long. 

The new commander of the Ogden Air Logistics Center said his current position as leader of Hill Air Force Base is, in many ways, one of chance. 

Busch grew up around airplanes, but not in the Air Force. His father worked for an airline company, so Busch spent much of his childhood moving around the globe, including a five-year stay in Saudi Arabia. 

"I never expected to be in this position," Busch said recently at his new office at Hill.
"When I first joined the Air Force, I had no strong aspirations to go beyond my basic commitment." 

The 6-foot-9-inch-tall Busch began his career when he was recruited out of high school to play center for the Air Force Academy's basketball team in Colorado Springs.
"I played without distinction, but it paid the bills, I guess," Busch said. "It got me through college. At the time, I was making about $1.65 (an hour) at the local car wash, so it seemed like a good idea." 

What he thought would be a short stint in the service has turned into a journey that has included leadership positions at all three Air Force air logistics centers and now leadership of Hill AFB, the largest single-site employer in Utah. 

"Things kind of snowballed," Busch said of his longer-than intended stay in the Air Force.
"I had some cool assignments along the way and started working on the flightline and really started to enjoy things." 

No stranger to Hill or the Top of Utah, Busch served as the deputy director for logistics management and director for workload transfer at the OO-ALC from 1998 to 2000.
When he found out about his return to the base, he was thrilled to come back to Utah and also be closer to his family, most of whom live in the Las Vegas area. 

"Professionally, this is the opportunity of a lifetime," he said. "But I also love Utah and all of its natural beauty, and now I'm a lot closer to my family." 

Busch said his priorities as base leader are to reinvigorate Hill's role in the Air Force's nuclear enterprise, address issues with the aging fleet of aircraft and take care of the base community. 

"We have to be an effective advocate in the budget process for aging fleet issues," he said. 

Busch also hopes to curb a recent rise in suicides among the base's civilian population. Suicides among civilians at Hill have increased three years in a row and are on pace to rise again this year. "It's a very big concern," Busch said. 

"Specifically, we're looking at ways to improve the hand-off between a concerned co-worker and our Wingman Advocate program, and its leadership's role to make sure everybody knows they have worth and no problem is insurmountable." 

Busch inherits command of the base at a time that could bring unprecedented growth.
The 550-acre Falcon Hill National Aerospace Research Park -- the largest enhanced use lease project in the history of the Department of Defense -- awaits Busch, as does the major construction that will come along with the project. 

"Falcon Hill creates opportunities on a lot of different levels," Busch said.
"It allows us to draw firms that have a direct connection with us, like Northrup Grumman. And then we also get to move our people out of some outdated office buildings." 

Hill is also a top contender to house a unit of F-35s and will become the maintenance workload center for the Air Force's two newest unmanned aerial vehicles, the MQ-1 Predator and the MQ-9 Reaper. 

"We have every intention of being an effective sustainment solution for the F-35, if that opportunity presents itself," Busch said. 

Busch said he's excited to lead Hill during what could be a seminal period for the base.
"It's a great time for Hill Air Force Base," he said. 

"The future is bright, and I can't tell you how happy I am to be a part of it."