Gen. George Casey Jr. took over as Army Chief of Staff from Gen. Peter Schoomaker, who gets to retire for the second time, during a change of command ceremony Tuesday at Ft. Myer, Va. (Former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld recalled Schoomaker to active duty in 2003.) Casey, who last led the Multinational Force-Iraq, faced some resistance during his Congressional confirmation process earlier this year.
The six-week government shutdown did not affect the hours flown by Air Force pilots, a service spokesperson told Air & Space Forces Magazine—avoiding what could have been a major blow at a time when flying hours are already lower than they have been in decades.
