Col. Christine Littlejohn grew up watching generations of her family serve in the military. Now, as the new commander of the 99th Air Base Wing at Nellis Air Force Base, Littlejohn said carrying on that legacy comes with “a weight of responsibility” she is proud to bear.
“When I consider what my grandfathers went through in World War II, what my father went through in Vietnam, what my brothers went through in the conflicts of the global War on Terrorism or the conflicts in Bosnia, it just made me realize that every generation is called to stand up for this country and our Constitution,” Littlejohn said in an interview with the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
Littlejohn officially assumed command of the wing on July 17, becoming the first woman to lead the unit that is responsible for managing, operating and maintaining Nellis.
Nellis officials did not comment further about Littlejohn’s role, but provided a list of the 16 other officers who have commanded the wing, all of whom were men.
Activated in October 1995, the 99th Air Base Wing is the host wing for Nellis and provides installation support, security and infrastructure management for the base, which serves more than 11,000 active service members.
Littlejohn brings over two decades of military service to her new role. Her career began in the Reserve Officer Training Corps program at Oral Roberts University in Oklahoma.
She said it was this program, not her family’s military history, that inspired her career. She described the program as a win-win, offering her a chance to join “an amazing organization,” while receiving a scholarship and guaranteed employment once she graduated.
“I gave it a semester fully intending that it would only be one semester, but they got me hooked, and I fell in love with it,” she said. “The best part about it was really getting a chance to learn about the military, not from the perspective of a child whose parents and family had been in it, but as a cadet who was learning about the responsibilities that come with being an officer.”
After entering the Air Force as a graduate of the ROTC program in 2003, Littlejohn went on to serve as an airfield operations officer at multiple Air Force major air commands, working at the wing and headquarters levels.
Throughout her decorated military career, Littlejohn has completed numerous combat deployments including in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom, the U.S.-led war in Afghanistan that began after the Sept. 11 attacks. Littlejohn was promoted to the position of colonel in September 2023, and she previously served as the commander of the 502nd Installation Support Group at Joint Base San Antonio, Texas.
From these experiences, Littlejohn said one central idea stands out.
“When I consider each of my deployments, they brought different challenges, some of them very real and very dangerous, some of them a little bit calmer, but still very important,” Littlejohn said. “The common theme in our success across every single challenge was teamwork and the way that airmen would come together to figure out a solution.”
Littlejohn said she intends to carry that spirit of teamwork to the 99th Air Base Wing, where she oversees two groups and 13 squadrons responsible for installation support at Nellis. Her job, she said, is sometimes referred to as the “mayor of Nellis Air Force Base.”
She said joining the wing was the “highlight” of her career because Nellis has an “amazing mission set.”
Under the umbrella of the United States Air Force Warfare Center, Nellis leads several large force exercises each year like Red Flag, which are designed to simulate combat and ensure service members are prepared before they are actually deployed.
Littlejohn highlighted the importance of numerous service members who fall under her command, like security force defenders who secure the base’s perimeter and civil engineers who sustain the base’s infrastructure.
“I cannot do anything in isolation,” Littlejohn said. “None of us can. My job here is to make sure that the men and women of the 99th have the resources they need to get after the mission every day.”
In assuming these leadership positions, Littlejohn has taken inspiration from her group commander while she was in Kirkuk, Iraq. During that deployment, she said something went “very, very wrong,” but declined to specify what occurred.
She said she watched her group commander, now retired Lt. Gen. Richard Scobee, handle the situation with absolute calm and professionalism.
“Watching him do that has inspired me over the years ever since,” she said. “It is so important that a leader maintain calm and objectivity, no matter what the circumstance, so that they can bring that into their team and their team can take action without added stressors that do not add value.”
Littlejohn replaced Col. Jason Glynn, who assumed command of the 99th Air Base Wing in July 2024. According to Littlejohn, Glynn identified readiness as the top priority of the wing, which is something that she hopes to focus on as she takes the helm.
She added that she hoped to ensure that new officers are trained even better than she was.
“We need to make sure that the 99th Air Base Wing Diamondbacks are always ready, any challenge, any time, any place that our Warfare Center, our Air Force, or our nation needs us,” Littlejohn said, referring to a nickname for the wing’s personnel.
Contact Sophie Baker at sbaker@reviewjournal.com.
