AFA’s Board of Directors announced on Wednesday that Gen. Larry Spencer, retiring Air Force vice chief of staff, will become AFA’s new President. He will officially assume his duties later in 2015. “General Spencer’s leadership and success in the Air Force is inspiring,” said AFA Board Chairman Scott Van Cleef. “As a great AFA supporter, we look forward to him serving as our next AFA President and building upon the long history of success AFA has achieved,” added Van Cleef. Spencer will fill the leadership position that became vacant earlier this year when Craig McKinley departed. Mark Barrett has been serving in the interim as AFA’s Acting President. As President, Spencer will direct AFA’s professional staff and oversee the association’s management and operations, including professional development events across the country and its many aerospace educational initiatives. He will also be Air Force Magazine’s publisher. AFA, with its national office located in Arlington, Va., currently has more than 93,000 members worldwide. The Air Force on Tuesday announced Spencer’s retirement. He began his career in the enlisted ranks, later became an officer, and then rose to the rank of four-star general. (Spencer’s official Air Force biography)
The Air Force displayed all the firepower it has amassed on Okinawa in an unusually diverse show of force this week. IIn a May 6 “Elephant Walk,” Kadena Air Base showcased 24 F-35A Lightning II stealth fighters, eight F-15E Strike Eagles; two U.S. Army Patriot anti-missile batteries near the runway; and…