Maj. Gen. Andrew Mueller assumed his new role as the Air Force’s chief of safety from Maj. Gen. Kurt Neubauer during a July 24 ceremony at Air Force Headquarters in Washington, D.C. Mueller, who has more than 4,000 hours in the E-3 Sentry, previously served as commander of NATO’s E-3A component in Germany. In his new role, he oversees the development, execution, and evaluation of the Air Force’s aviation, ground, weapons, space, and system mishap prevention and nuclear surety programs. He also serves as commander of the Air Force Safety Center at Kirtland AFB, N.M. “Safety is integral to every task necessary for the Air Force to fly, fight, and win in air, space, and cyberspace,” he said in a release. “Not only does safety touch every task … safety is key to the combat readiness of our Air Force.” Neubauer is slated to retire in September.
F-35As from the Vermont Air National Guard have deployed to Puerto Rico in recent days, continuing a major buildup of U.S. Air Force assets in Latin America aimed at combating drug trafficking and pressuring the regime of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro.
