Maj. Gen. Mark Ramsay will be the next commander of 18th Air Force at Scott AFB, Ill., the Defense Department announced last week. To accompany his move, President Obama has nominated Ramsay for promotion to the rank of lieutenant general. Since October 2009, Ramsay has been deputy chief of staff for operations and intelligence in NATO’s Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe in Casteau, Belgium. He will take the reins from Lt. Gen. Robert Allardice, who’s shifting to his new assignment as Air Mobility Command’s vice commander, also at Scott. Allardice has led 18th AF since August 2009. It is AMC’s sole warfighting numbered air force. (DOD release)
The Pentagon released its new National Defense Strategy late Jan. 23, emphasizing a new commitment to the Western Hemisphere. But while that focus garnered most of the headlines, the strategy’s subtle shifts on China raise questions about how the Trump administration aims to leverage U.S. military power in the Indo-Pacific.
