Lt. Gen. David Buck took command of Air Force Space Command’s 14th Air Force (Air Forces Strategic), and the Joint Functional Component for space, US Strategic Command, at Vandenberg AFB, Calif., on Aug. 14, according to a news release. US Navy Adm. Cecil Haney, commander of US STRATCOM, and Gen. John Hyten, commander of AFSPC, presided over the ceremony, held at Vandenberg’s Joint Space Operations Center. Buck takes command from Lt. Gen. John Raymond, who will be the Air Force’s new deputy chief of staff for op?e?rations. Buck said he is excited to be back at Vandenberg, where he served previously as commander of the 30th Space Wing. “There is no doubt these are exciting and dynamic times,” he said. “In many ways we are at a crossroad. We have the obligation to transform our culture and drive the operational imperatives to enable us to effectively operate in this congested, degraded, and operationally limited domain. I’m anxious to roll up my sleeves and get to work.” Buc?k, who started his career as an enlisted airman and reached the rank of technical sergeant before receiving his commission in 1986, previously served as vice commander of Air Force Space Command at Peterson AFB, Colo.
Lockheed Martin projects more than a billion dollars of losses on a classified program, but company officials said April 23 they are confident it will turn profitable by 2028 and become a "franchise" system in the U.S. military.