Marine Corps Gen. James Mattis on Wednesday assumed command of US Central Command during a ceremony at its headquarters in Tampa, Fla. He now oversees US military operations in Afghanistan and Iraq. “Gen. Mattis is one of the most formidable warrior scholars of his generation,” said Defense Secretary Robert Gates, who presided over the ceremony. Mattis fills the leadership vacancy created when Army Gen. David Petraeus left CENTCOM to lead US and NATO forces in Afghanistan. Mattis said he is “in awe” of the fortitude of the warfighters whom he now leads. “I will hold you in my thoughts and prayers as we team together—co-equals in our commitment to protecting our experiment we call ‘America’ and to supporting stability in the region we’re assigned,” he said. His previous job was as head of US Joint Forces Command. (CENTCOM release) (AFPS report by Jim Garamone)
The Air Force and Space Force kicked off a busy summer of major exercises across the Pacific on July 8, with thousands of Airmen and Guardians and hundreds of aircraft and satellites set to participate in a so-called Department-Level Exercise series.