The Air Force has decided to move Maj. Gen. William Holland from his No. 2 slot at 9th Air Force/Air Forces Central to lead the now temporarily separate 9th Air Force. In May, USAF announced plans to temporarily split 9th AF from AFCENT, sending a few folks forward to establish an AFCENT headquarters closer to the action and removed from the day-to-day management chores of running a number air force. Lt. Gen. Gary North, who has led 9th AF/AFCENT since February 2006, has been nominated now to lead Pacific Air Forces. The Senate has confirmed Maj. Gen. Gilmary Hostage III for a third star and to replace North as AFCENT commander.
An important U.S. Air Force E-3 Sentry AWACS command and control plane was among the aircraft damaged in a March 27 Iranian missile and drone attack on Prince Sultan Air Base, Saudi Arabia, people familiar with the matter told Air & Space Forces Magazine.