Lt. Gen. Jerry Martinez on Thursday took command of 5th Air Force and US Forces Japan, the Air Force announced. Martinez replaces Lt. Gen. John Dolan, who left in August to become the director of operations for the Joint Staff. Martinez, who received his third star in the promotion, previously served as the director of operations for Air Mobility Command. He is a command pilot with more than 4,000 hours in aircraft such as the C-17 and KC-135. He has also served as the deputy chief of staff for operations for Headquarters Allied Joint Force Command Brunssum in the Netherlands.
When Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Air Force Gen. Dan Caine described the 150 aircraft used in Operation Absolute Resolve, the mission to capture Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, he referenced many by name, including the F-35 and F-22 fighters and B-1 bomber. Not specified, however, were “remotely piloted drones,” among them a secretive aircraft spotted and photographed returning to Puerto…
