The Air National Guard on Nov. 1 will transfer command of 1st Air Force, based at Tyndall AFB, Fla., from Maj. Gen. Scott Mayes to Maj. Gen. Henry Morrow. Mayes, who plans to retire on Nov. 1, has commanded the unit charged with air defense of the continental US since October 2004. Morrow last served as National Guard assistant to Adm. Timothy Keating, commander of NORAD and US Northern Command.
Secretary of Defense Austin Lloyd III met with his counterparts from Australia, Japan and the Philippines to discuss bolstering defense ties on May 2. The discussion included plans for joint F-35 exercises with Japan and Australia in the coming years.