Gen. John Hyten became the 16th commander of Air Force Space Command, succeeding Gen. William Shelton in a ceremony at Peterson AFB, Colo. Chief of Staff Gen. Mark Welsh presided over the Aug. 15 ceremony, according to a command release. Hyten, who had been AFSPC’s vice commander since May 2012, received his fourth star prior to taking charge. He now oversees the Air Force’s space and cyber forces, some 42,000 airmen and civilians worldwide. Hyten attended Harvard University on an Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps scholarship. He graduated in 1981 with a bachelor’s degree in engineering and applied sciences and was commissioned as a second lieutenant. Shelton is retiring from the Air Force after more than three and a half years as AFSPC”s leader and a career of 38 years in uniform.
New Air Force Safety Tool Forecasts Mishap Risk
March 10, 2026
When you check the weather forecast, it can tell you there’s a 40 percent chance of rain for the day based on the barometric pressure, the wind, the humidity, or any number of factors. A new Air Force Safety Center dashboard offers commanders the same kind of outlook, but for mishaps—a forecast that quantifies their units’ risk level based on dozens of…