Lt. Gen. John Hesterman took charge of Air Forces Central Command during a ceremony last week at Shaw AFB, S.C. Hesterman took the reins from Lt. Gen. David Goldfein on July 11. The latter had led AFCENT since August 2011 and is moving on to his next assignment as Joint Staff director in the Pentagon. Army Gen. Lloyd Austin, US Central Command boss, presided over the ceremony. He thanked Goldfein for his leadership and called Hesterman “the right person” to lead AFCENT through its “next challenging period of transformation and transition.” Hesterman comes to AFCENT after having been the Pentagon’s military deputy for readiness since November 2011. From July 2010 to June 2011, Hesterman was AFCENT’s deputy commander. “You’ve done exceptionally good work and continue to do exceptionally good work,” said Hesterman to AFCENT’s airmen during the change of command. “I’m proud of you and proud to join you.” AFCENT oversees air operations within a 20-nation area of responsibility in Southwest Asia, including Afghanistan. (Shaw report by A1C Jonathan Bass)
Top Lawmakers Want 15 Percent Pay Raise for Enlisted Troops
April 19, 2024
A new law introduced by Congress would raise the pay rate 15 percent for junior enlisted troops and seek improvements on a range of quality of life issues, such as pay and compensation, child care, housing, health care access, and military spouse employment.