President Obama tapped Lt. Gen. Mike Holmes for assignment as the Air Force’s next long-range planner, leading the Air Staff’s A8 office, according to the Defense Department. The Pentagon announced Holmes’ nomination to be deputy chief of staff for strategic plans and programs on May 9. Holmes has been serving since August 2013 as Air Education and Training Command’s vice commander at JBSA-Randolph, Texas. If the Senate approves this nomination, Holmes would replace Lt. Gen. Michael Moeller, who has led the A8 office since October 2012.
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.