President Obama nominated Maj. Gen. Samuel Cox for promotion to the rank of lieutenant general to join the Air Staff as deputy chief of staff for manpower, personnel, and services, announced the Pentagon on Monday. Cox, who has been US Transportation Command’s director of operations and plans since June 2012, would replace Lt. Gen. Darrell Jones, who has held the position since December 2010. The nomination requires the Senate’s confirmation.
House lawmakers are encouraging the Air Force and U.S. Special Operations Command to work together as each pursues long-range, long-endurance reconnaissance drones. Both entities are investing in unmanned assets that can slip into highly defended areas, loiter over a particularly valuable target for days at a time, and traverse multiple…