Commander's Corner and Cadre

Who we are

AFROTC Detachment 159 was established on January 25, 1972, under the original name of Florida Technological University, which is now known as the University of Central Florida. Our primary mission is to train and prepare graduates for commissioning and a profession as active-duty second lieutenants. Our alumni serve in various exciting and demanding career fields, such as pilots, engineers, intelligence officers, space officers, missileers, and more than 40 other roles. We are dedicated to maintaining our position as the foundation of American Airpower and upholding our legacy as AFROTC Detachment 159.

Mission, Vision & Priorities

Mission: To educate, train, and mentor leaders of character through academic, physical, and professional development

Vision: Equip our force with officers of character, prepared to rapidly adapt to a dynamic world to compete, deter, and win through air and space dominance

Priorities

Commander: Airmen/Guardians/cadets, mission, and family
Cadet Wing: Academics, physical fitness, and leadership development

Meet Our Cadre

Colonel Phelemon T. Williams II

Detachment 159 Commander

WOW… What a GREAT Spring Semester!

The semester began with the first-ever Det 159 Cadet Wing A-Staff construct, replacing the more traditional Air Force wing structure. The Air Force is implementing standardized A-Staffs for air expeditionary wings to support commanders, maximize responsiveness in crises, and ease integration with joint force elements. This was an essential developmental opportunity for our future Air Force leaders. As stated by Lt Gen James Slife, deputy chief of staff for operations, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, "Being a part of an A-staff will prepare Airmen earlier in their careers for their strategic role in informing the decisions of our Air Force leaders." It was AWESOME to witness the cadets accept the challenge and knock it out of the park!

The Flying Knights hosted Colonel Allison Black, former 1st Special Operations Wing Commander, at our formal Dining-Out event. Col Black shared her inspiring story of how the Afghanistan fighters called her "the Angel of Death" for her radio calls from AC-130 gunships. This was during a time when she was likely the only female aviator talking on the radio during those first battlefields after 9/11. In addition, she provided valuable leadership traits for our future Air and Space Forces young officers.

Furthermore, Det 159 hosted our 2nd annual 2024 Southeast Region Field Training Exercise. The event prepared 140 GMC cadets from 5 Detachments in the fundamentals that will help them succeed in Field Training this summer at Maxwell AFB.

We had many more events such as Lime Cup (Champions!), Paintball Field Leadership Exercises, Resiliency Day, Iron Knight event hosted by Army ROTC, Norwegian Foot March, Hurlburt Field Base visit, DoD Partnership award ceremony, Cadet Wing Award Ceremony, and Change of Command, capped off with our Commissioning Ceremony celebrating 13 new lieutenants!

All the Spring Semester events were met with steadfast leadership, genuine care, and unwavering support for ALL Det 159 Flying Knights cadets. I'm extremely excited to see our cadets in action in the Fall Semester!

Charge on!