President Obama has nominated Lt. Gen. Janet Wolfenbarger to receive a fourth star for her next assignment as commander of Air Force Materiel Command at Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio, announced the Pentagon on Monday. With the Senate’s nod, Wolfenbarger would become the Air Force’s first-ever female four-star general, USAF officials confirmed to the Daily Report. She would replace Gen. Donald Hoffman, who has led AFMC since November 2008 and is expected to retire from the Air Force after some 38 years of service. Since September, Wolfenbarger has been the military deputy in the Air Force Secretariat’s acquisition shop. She is no stranger to AFMC, having served at its vice commander from December 2009 to September 2011 and completed several senior assignments there, such as overseeing the B-2 System Program Office and commanding the C-17 Systems Group. (See also AFPS report by Lisa Daniel.)
The new defense reconciliation bill includes $7.2 billion for Air Force and Navy aviation accounts, almost half of which will buy more F-15EXs. While electronic warfare, drones, connectivity and airlift all get attention, the F-35 was conspicuously absent from the package, with no explanation given.