Lt. Gen. Gary L. North is the new commander of 9th Air Force and US Central Command Air Forces, headquartered at Shaw AFB, S.C. In a ceremony last week, North replaced Lt. Gen. Walter E. Buchanan III, who officially retires on April 1. North was the director of operations for US Pacific Command.
Members of the House Armed Services Committee say the AIM-260 Joint Advanced Tactical Missile program has been set back three months due to the ongoing government shutdown. The comment is noteworthy because the JATM's status has been kept tightly under wraps.

