President Obama has nominated Maj. Gen. Robert Otto for promotion to the rank of lieutenant general for his new assignment as deputy chief of staff for intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance in Air Force headquarters, announced the Pentagon on April 11. Otto has been commander of the Air Force ISR Agency at JBSA-Lackland, Tex., since July 2011. If the Senate confirms his nomination, Otto would replace Lt. Gen. Larry James, who has been the Air Force’s top ISR official since January 2011.James, a 1978 Air Force Academy graduate, is retiring.
Trainees in Basic Military Training and technical school no longer have the option to try alternate PT drills if they fail an initial assessment, according to a policy change the Air Force made in April. The move is part of a larger shift out of the classroom and into hands-on,…