According to a report in the Shreveport Times, Gen. William Fraser III, currently serving as the Vice Chief of Staff, is the likely successor to head Air Combat Command when Gen. John Corley retires this summer. Replacing Fraser in the Air Force’s No. 2 uniformed spot would be Gen. Howie Chandler, currently head of Pacific Air Forces. The formal nominations have yet to go public. Also included in the Times report was word that Maj. Gen. Gilmary Hostage III, who currently serves as Chandler’s deputy at PACAF, will get the Air Forces Central portion of the to-be-temporarily-split 9th Air Force/AFCENT. Hostage would replace Lt. Gen. Gary North as the forward commander of USAF air operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. Hostage’s name appeared May 20 on the Senate list awaiting confirmation. No word yet on who would follow Chandler and Hostage at PACAF.
The Air Force’s Hypersonic Attack Cruise Missile is behind schedule and may significantly overrun its expected cost, which could partially explain why the service is reviving the hypersonic AGM-183 Air-Launched Rapid-Response Weapon.