The Senate on Thursday confirmed Lt. Gen. James Holmes to receive his fourth star and take over as commander of Air Combat Command. Holmes, currently the deputy chief of staff for strategic plans and requirements, will take over from Gen. Hawk Carlisle, who is retiring. Carlisle has led ACC since October 2014. Holmes is a command pilot with more than 4,000 hours in multiple aircraft, mostly F-15s. Maj. Gen. John McMullen has been tapped to be Holmes’s deputy.
This year’s Association of the United States Army’s annual meeting buzzed with talk of countering the rapidly evolving drone threat facing the entire U.S. military, including the Air Force. Leaders and defense industry officials discussed the need for new approaches to procurement and employment of a new class of these…