Army Gen. William E. Ward, the first-ever boss of US Africa Command, turned over the reins of command to Army Gen. Carter Ham during a ceremony Wednesday at the command’s headquarters in Stuttgart, Germany. Ward, who began his military career in 1971 as an infantry officer, has been at AFRICOM’s helm since the command stood up in October 2007. He is retiring, reports Voice of America. “From the moment he took command,” Ward kept “his eye on the mission—promoting African security by building the capacity of partner nations and organizations,” stated Defense Secretary Robert Gates during the ceremony. Ward attributed AFRICOM’s success to its partnerships. “We make a difference . . . because, by partnering with our friends and teammates, they see the best of America,” he said. Ham most recently served as commander of US Army Europe. (AFPS report by Karen Parrish) (Gates transcript)
Pentagon officials overseeing homeland counter-drone strategy told lawmakers that even with preliminary moves to bolster U.S. base defenses, the military still lacks the capability to comprehensively identify, track, and engage hostile drones like those that breached the airspace of Langley Air Force Base in Virginia for 17 days in December…