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 two prototypes for the Air Force’s Collaborative Combat Aircraft program have started ground testing, Air Force Chief Staff Gen. David W. Allvin announced May 1, ahead of a planned first flight this summer.