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 F-35 Joint Program Office has officially announced plans to issue multiple sole-source contracts to Pratt & Whitney to upgrade the fighter’s F135 engine—a widely expected move after Pentagon officials indicated they would do so earlier this year instead of developing an entirely new engine.