The Air Force on Thursday announced the upcoming retirement of Lt. Gen. Stephen Hoog, assistant vice chief of staff and director of the Air Staff, according to an internal USAF memo. Hoog, who has served in his current position since August 2013, also serves as the deputy chairman of the Air Force Council and is the USAF accreditation official for the international Corps of Air Attachés. A 1979 graduate of the US Air Force Academy, Hoog is a command pilot with more than 3,700 flying hours, including 181 combat hours over Bosnia and Iraq, according to his official biography. The announcement did not give 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…