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.
The Air Force is launching an effort to develop a new stand-off missile with a range of 1,000 nautical miles, or 1,150 miles, that would eventually be used for both air-to-air and air-to-surface missions.