Air National Guard Director Lt. Gen. Stanley Clarke was nominated by the Guard’s enlisted force to receive its highest honor, induction into the Order of the Sword. The terrorist attacks of Sept. 11 “took the Air National Guard from a strategic reserve to an operational reserve. The second most significant event since 9/11 is you becoming the director of the Air National Guard,” ANG Command CMSgt. James Hotaling said in a Nov. 11 ceremony. “The Air Force has transformed forever under your watch. You were the leader who gave the enlisted force the ability to go out and shape the new ANG.” Since taking charge of the ANG in March 2013, Clarke enhanced enlisted career development by setting up a Senior Enlisted Leadership Management Office, improving mentorship and training, and cutting time wasted on ancillary training by 80 percent, allowing Guardsmen to conduct more job-related training instead, according to the release. The Air Force announced Clarke’s retirement last month. He is the 13th ANG officer nominated for the order and will be inducted during a ceremony next April.
Army Building Up New Space Operations Branch
Oct. 15, 2026
The Army has long been dependent on space capabilities to navigate terrain, communicate in hard-to-reach areas, and identify and strike targets. Now, the service wants to deepen its space operations expertise and is making plans to expand its own cadre of operators in the coming years.