The Senate on April 28 approved Gen. Lori Robinson to be commander of US Northern Command and North American Aerospace Defense Command, making her the first female commander of a combatant command. Robinson, who has led Pacific Air Forces since October 2014, will replace Adm. Bill Gortney. Also on Thursday, the Senate confirmed Army Gen. Curtis Scaparrotti to replace Air Force Gen. Philip Breedlove as commander of US European Command, and Army Gen. Vincent Brooks, who will replace Scaparotti as commander of US Forces Korea. Breedlove will retire July 1 after nearly 40 years in uniform. The Pentagon announced on Friday that Defense Secretary Ash Carter will travel to Europe May 2-4 to preside over the EUCOM change of command ceremony, which will be held May 3 in Stuttgart, Germany, alongside Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Marine Gen. Joseph Dunford. While in Europe, Carter also will host a meeting with defense ministers from countries involved in the anti-ISIS fight, states the release.
The Senate Armed Services Committee this week released the full text of its version of the 2026 defense policy bill—often referred to as the National Defense Authorization Act—that would allow the Air Force and Space Force to spend billions of dollars more than the services had sought for next year.