President Obama has nominated Lt. Gen. Mike Holmes to receive his fourth star and take over as commander of Air Combat Command, the Pentagon announced Thursday. If confirmed, Holmes would replace Gen. Hawk Carlisle, who has led ACC since October 2014. The Pentagon has not announced Carlisle’s next move, or if he will retire. Holmes currently serves as the deputy chief of staff for strategic plans and requirements for the Air Force. He is a command pilot with more than 500 combat hours in the F-15 and other aircraft, and previously served as the vice commander of Air Education and Training Command. Among his command positions is a stint as commander of the 455th Air Expeditionary Wing in Afghanistan. The Pentagon also announced that Maj. Gen. Mark Kelly has been nominated to receive his third star and take over as commander of 12th Air Force (Air Forces Southern). Kelly currently serves as the special assistant to the commander of ACC.
As the Air Force readied for its June 21-22 strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities, the service was also putting its Agile Combat Employment strategy into action, dispersing combat aircraft and Airmen from Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar in preparation for a possible Iranian retaliatory attack. Some defense experts say…
