President Bush has nominated Air Force Lt. Gen. Lance L. Smith for appointment to the rank of general and assignment as commander of US Joint Forces Command, headquartered at Norfolk, Va. Smith currently serves as deputy commander for US Central Command. If confirmed by the Senate, Smith would replace Adm. Edmund Giambastiani, who is now serving as the Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. The JFCOM position has a NATO responsibility, as well, and NATO already has agreed to name Smith as Supreme Allied Commander Transformation.
While the Sentinel ICBM program writ large is undergoing a major restructure due to cost and schedule overages, prime contractor Northrop Grumman is touting progress on milestones with the missile itself.
