On Friday, Gen. Raymond Johns replaced Gen. Arthur Lichte as the commander of Air Mobility Command. The White House nominated Johns, a 1977 Air Force Academy graduate, on July 8 and the Senate confirmed him for four stars and his new position on July 31. He previously served as deputy chief of staff for strategic plans and programs on the Air Staff. Lichte, who has led AMC for the past two years, will formally retire in January 2010.
The Air Force has begun flying its CV-22 Ospreys again. But that is just the start of a multi-step process to return the fleet to normal operations following a deadly crash last year, the service says.