Lt. Gen. Scott Rice pinned on his third star and assumed his new role as director of the Air National Guard on Tuesday. Rice, who previously served as the adjutant general of the Massachusetts National Guard, replaced Maj. Gen. Brian Neal, who has served as the acting director since Lt. Gen. Stanley Clarke retired in March. National Guard Bureau Chief Army Gen. Frank Grass, who presided over the ceremony, said Rice “has all the right tools to do this job,” though he cautioned it was not going to be easy.
The U.S. military is maintaining a beefed-up presence in the Middle East, including fighters and air defense assets, following the U.S. strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities June 22 and subsequent retaliation by the Iranians against Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar.
