Lt. Gen. Stanley Clarke, the director of the Air National Guard, will retire, according to an internal Air Force memo. Clarke has served as ANG director since March 2013. He previously served as the commander of 1st Air Force and Continental US North American Aerospace Defense Command Region at Tyndall AFB, Fla. Clarke, who was commissioned in 1981, is a command pilot with more than 4,000 hours in the A-10, F-16, C-26, and T-38. The Air Force announcement did not include the official date of retirement.
The U.S. military is sending more fighter jets to the Middle East to step up its war with Iran, adding to what is already the largest buildup of airpower in the region since the 2003 invasion of Iraq. For now, the operation shows little sign of coming to a quick…