Col. Jesse Carlson becomes new commander of Minnesota National Guard's 133rd Airlift Wing

MINNEAPOLIS – The Minnesota National Guard's 133rd Airlift Wing is under new leadership.

Air Force Col. Jesse Carlson became the new commander at a ceremony in St. Paul Saturday. He joined the National Guard 13 years ago.

Carlson will now lead the more than 1,200 airmen in the unit on federal deployments overseas, as well as humanitarian missions here in the U.S. after disasters like hurricanes, earthquakes and floods.  

"We've been called on many times over the past decades, responding to not only just Minnesota, but respond to floodings in areas like North Dakota," Cmdr. Carlson said. "We went down for Hurricane Katrina in Louisiana, and people when they're responding to their own homes and their own neighborhoods, there's that feeling of camaraderie with the people that you're going through with them, not just taking care of the mission overseas."

Carlson says he will also focus on getting new recruits to join the unit. The 133rd Airlift Wing celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2021.