The presumptive next commanders of Air Combat Command and Air Mobility Command have been announced.
President Donald Trump has nominated Lt. Gen. Mark Kelly to receive his fourth star and take over as commander of ACC and Lt. Gen. Jacqueline Van Ovost for her fourth star and assignment as commander of AMC, the Pentagon announced June 9.
Kelly is the deputy chief of staff of operations at Headquarters Air Force. He has previously served as the commander of 12th Air Force, 9th Air Force, the 455th Air Expeditionary Wing in Afghanistan, and the 354th Fighter Wing at Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska. He is a command pilot with more than 6,000 flying hours in multiple aircraft including F-15Es, F-16s, and F-35s. If confirmed, he will replace Gen. Mike Holmes, who has led the command since March 2017.
Van Ovost, who would replace Gen. Maryann Miller if confirmed, is the deputy commander at AMC. She previously served as the director of staff at Headquarters Air Force and the director of the Joint Staff, as well as the vice commander of the U.S. Air Force Expeditionary Center, and she led the 89th Airlift Wing at Joint Base Andrews, Md. She is a graduate of the U.S. Air Force Test Pilot School and a command pilot with more than 4,200 hours in more than 30 aircraft.
Both Holmes and Miller are expected to retire.
The Pentagon also announced three more nominations:
- Maj. Gen. Andrew Croft for the rank of lieutenant general and assignment as the military deputy commander of U.S. Southern Command. Croft is the commander of 12th Air Force.
- Maj. Gen. Charles Moore Jr. for the rank of lieutenant general and assignment as deputy commander of U.S. Cyber Command. Moore is the director of operations for CYBERCOM.
- Maj. Gen. Brian Robinson for the rank of lieutenant general and to replace Van Ovost as AMC’s deputy commander. Robinson is currently the director of operations for U.S. Transportation Command.