Col. David Cochrane said he is 'extremely excited' to become the commander of 8 Wing. (CBC)Col. David Cochrane officially became the new commander of Canadian Forces Base Trenton Friday, replacing Col. Russell Williams, who is in jail charged with the murder of two eastern Ontario women.

"I am proud and privileged to take command of 8 Wing Trenton today," Cochrane said during Friday's change-of-command ceremony.

"I'm extremely excited ... fully realizing the enormous responsibilities and work that [lie] ahead."

He said he recognizes it is a difficult time for the forces and for the local community. He thanked the community for its support and said he looks forward to continuing to build a close relationship with it.

He urged military members to continue to be proud of their contributions to Canada and the world.

"We must turn the page and move forward."

Cochrane entered an airplane hangar filled with rows of troops in blue uniforms around 10 a.m. ET, preceded by his wife, Sherri, 12-year-old daughter Lindsay and 13-year-old son Jamie.

Maj.-Gen. Yvan Blondin said he wished the military could have prepared Col. David Cochrane longer for his new role. (CBC)He stood on a podium and saluted, prompting a military band to break into several energetic bars in his honour. Cochrane, who was a lieutenant-colonel until Friday, was promoted to his current rank as part of the change of command.

Presiding officer Maj.-Gen. Yvan Blondin entered shortly afterward. He and Cochrane inspected the troops together, weaving slowly through the tidy rows of men and women while the band played.

Blondin said Cochrane's job commanding the busiest base in the military won't be easy.

"You're jumping into it — it's a moving car," he said. "Just take the steering wheel and just keep it going, 'cause I need you."

He said he wished the military could have prepared Cochrane longer for his new role and he also wished that there had been a better way to transfer command of the base.

'We're going to make it work'

But he said Cochrane came out on top when the military looked around for someone who could do the job.

"It's going to be OK," Blondin said. "We're going to make it work."

Blondin praised the members of 8 Wing for their continuing dedication to their duties despite their grief since Williams's arrest.

"It's been difficult. I shared your surprise, shared your shock, shared your tears, shared your anger," he said. "I watched how you came back up in the last two weeks and I am proud."

Forces from CFB Trenton carry out many search and rescue operations in Canada and abroad in places such as earthquake-stricken Haiti.

Friday's ceremony was attended by many mayors, reeves and MPs from communities near the base who will be holding a military appreciation day on Saturday.

Toronto-born Cochrane has been with the military since 1982. He spent a large part of his career based out of CFB Trenton.

'Exceptional leadership qualities'

He was a tactical and strategic navigator on Hercules transport aircraft, both in Canada and in several overseas missions, including the first Gulf War and the United Nations mission in Sarajevo, Bosnia.

More recently, he has been involved in a variety of training and supervisory roles. In 2009, he spent six months as the commanding officer of Theatre Support Element Roto 8 in the Persian Gulf region.

Lt.-Gen. Andre Deschamps, chief of the air staff, announced Cochrane's appointment last Friday, describing him as a "highly experienced, trustworthy and capable commander" with "exceptional leadership qualities."

Williams, 46, had been base commander since July 2009. He was officially stripped of his command Thursday after a brief court appearance but retains the rank of colonel.

He was arrested Feb. 7 and charged with first-degree murder in the deaths of Jessica Lloyd, 27, and Cpl. Marie-France Comeau, 38, as well as two counts each of sexual assault, forcible confinement and breaking and entering in relation to two home invasions in Tweed, Ont., last September.