Gen. Paul Hester announced his retirement Friday, coincident with the Pentagon announcement that President Bush plans to nominate Lt. Gen. Howie Chandler to receive a fourth star and head Pacific Air Forces. Hester, who has commanded PACAF since July 2004, plans to formally retire on Jan. 1, 2008, but he expects to relinquish command sometime in November. Chandler, who currently serves as deputy chief of staff for air and space operations on the Air Staff, must obtain Senate confirmation for the PACAF post.
Air Force depots are not typically meant for quick repair jobs, but during Operation Epic Fury, the service moved some of its stateside heavy maintenance capability forward to fix battle-damaged aircraft closer to the fight.
