Heithold tapped as SOCOM Vice Commander

June 8, 2011

President Obama has selected Maj. Gen. Bradley Heithold to be vice commander of US Special Operations Command. He’s also nominated Heithold for promotion to the rank of lieutenant general. Heithold has been in charge of the Air Force Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance Agency at Lackland AFB, Tex., since February 2009. (DOD release)

Related Content

Lawmakers Eye $7.2B for New Fighters, CCAs and More—but Nothing for F-35

April 28, 2025
The new defense reconciliation bill includes $7.2 billion for Air Force and Navy aviation accounts, almost half of which will buy more F-15EXs. While electronic warfare, drones, connectivity and airlift all get attention, the F-35 was conspicuously absent from the package, with no explanation given.

Air Force Rethinks Having Trainees Carry Real Rifles in Boot Camp

April 28, 2025
Young Air Force and Space Force recruits in Basic Military Training will not be trading in their non-firing M4 carbines for live M4s anytime soon. After leaders previously said they wanted to make the switch, Maj. Gen. Wolfe Davidson said it may not be necessary for Airmen to carry real…

Congress Unveils $150B in New Defense Spending for 2025

April 28, 2025
The heads of the House and Senate Armed Services committees have unveiled a plan for $150 billion in new defense spending, as part of a massive planned package meant to advance President Donald Trump’s agenda. The proposed bill would inject several billion dollars into major Air Force priorities like nuclear modernization, aircraft…

Boeing Claims Progress on T-7 and Other Challenged Programs

April 25, 2025
Boeing appears to have become to overcome the problems that led to billions in losses on fixed-price defense contracts in recent years, point the company back toward profitabily, says Boeing president and CEO Kelly Ortberg.

Kadena Adds Second Batch of F-35s to Its Fighter Rotation

April 25, 2025
The Air Force deployed a second group of F-35s to Kadena Air Base this month, reinforcing its fighter presence at the key base in the wake of retiring all operational F-15C Eagles from the installation. The stealthy jets and Airmen from the 421st Fighter Squadron, nicknamed the “Black Widows” out…

Air Force Futures Boss Leans Toward ‘Low End’ CCA in Next Increment

April 24, 2025
The Air Force is leaning toward a less-sophisticated autonomous aircraft in the second increment of the Collaborative Combat Aircraft, the services chief futurist said. He also suggested that the next increment of CCA may be air-launched, a la the "Rapid Dragon" experiments conducted by the service in recent years.