HILL AIR FORCE BASE, Utah — Col. James “Flash” Frickel took command of the Utah Test and Training Range during an assumption of command ceremony here Oct. 2.

The UTTR is located in Utah’s northwest desert and contains the largest block of overland contiguous special use airspace in the continental U.S. Situated over 2.3 million acres of DOD land, the UTTR is used for missile testing and air-to-air and air-to-ground training by aircrews from all branches of the military.

Frickel previously served as commander of the 466th Fighter Squadron, part of the Air Force Reserve 419th Fighter Wing at Hill AFB. He has more than 3,500 flying hours in various aircraft including the F-16.

This marks the second time a reservist has served as UTTR commander.

The UTTR is home to more than 330 personnel including military, civilians, and contractors. It averages more than 16,000 sorties every year.