Lt. Gen. Samuel Cox took command of 18th Air Force in an Oct. 19 ceremony at Scott AFB, Ill., filling the vacancy left by Gen. Carlton Everhart, who left to take charge of Air Mobility Command in August, officials annou?nced. President Obama nominated Cox, who previously served as deputy chief of staff for manpower, personnel, and services, at the Pentagon, back in July. The Numbered Air Force oversees some 37,000 Active Duty, Air National Guard, and Air Force Reserve Command airmen and 1,100 aircraft conducting operational air mobility, aerial refueling, aeromedical evacuation, and contingency response missions. The NAF coordinates global mobility missions through its 618th Air Operations Center at Scott. Cox is a 1984 graduate of the US Air Force Academy and has logged some 4,600 flying hours in trainers and mobility aircraft, including the C-5, C-17, and C-141.
U.S. Air Forces in Europe is using one of its premier F-16 squadrons to develop and practice new tactics and weapons to counter drones. The exercise stems from the service’s experience in the Middle East, fighting off Iranian and Houthi attacks.