Maj. Gen. Richard Clark assumed command of 8th Air Force during a ceremony at Barksdale AFB, La., according to a release. Clark now leads the numbered air force that oversees the Air Force’s nuclear-capable bomber force of B-2As and B-52Hs. He had been Air Force Global Strike Command’s vice commander since August 2014. “It is my honor and privilege to serve you and be your wingman, to make sure that you have everything you need to do this mission and follow the footsteps of our forefathers,” Clark told the assembled airmen during the April 17 change-of-command ceremony. “Let’s go make history,” he said. Clark replaced Maj. Gen. Scott Vander Hamm, who commanded 8th AF since October 2013. “I can’t think of a better or more experienced commander to take the reins from General Vander Hamm and lead the Mighty Eighth into the future,” said Lt. Gen. Stephen Wilson, AFGSC boss, of Clark. Wilson presided over the ceremony. Vander Hamm is moving to his new assignment as assistant deputy chief of staff for operations, plans, and requirements on the Air Staff in the Pentagon. (See also Vander Hamm’s farewell letter to 8th AF airmen.)
The use of a military counter-drone laser on the southwest border this week—which prompted the Federal Aviation Administration to abruptly close the airspace over El Paso, Texas—will be a “case study” on the complex web of authorities needed to employ such weapons near civilian areas and the consequences of agencies…
