Maj. Gen. Tom Masiello is the new commander of the Air Force Research Lab, after taking the leadership reins from Maj. Gen. William McCasland during a change-of-ceremony at Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio, site of the lab’s headquarters. “Let us never forget our proud legacy and awesome responsibility to create the Air Force of 2030, 2040, 2050, and beyond,” said Masiello in his remarks during the July 29 event. “Together, as a team, we will face our new challenges and our new opportunities, and together as a team, we will deliver a rich legacy of technologies for our future force,” he said. Masiello comes to AFRL from the Pentagon where he served since May 2011 as director of special programs for the Defense Department’s acquisition executive. He is now responsible for managing the lab’s eight technology directorates and one wing and a $2 billion science and technology portfolio, according to Wright-Patt’s Aug. 2 release. McCasland, who led AFRL since May 2011, is retiring from the Air Force, effective Oct. 1, after 34 years in uniform.
Defense experts say the drone threat represents only part of a larger, looming problem: U.S. air bases in the Pacific are increasingly vulnerable to air attacks.