President Donald Trump’s administration sent a batch of three-star Air Force nominations to Congress for approval on April 30, including a new superintendent for the U.S. Air Force Academy and the next commander of Air Mobility Command, officially pushing that job down to a three-star position.
The nominations from the president were sent to the Senate on April 30, according to congressional notices, and an Air Force spokesperson confirmed the new jobs for the trio of generals to Air & Space Forces Magazine.
Maj. Gen. Paul D. Moga, currently the commander of 3rd Air Force, a senior position within U.S. Air Forces in Europe-Air Forces Africa, has been nominated to become the next superintendent of the Air Force Academy and move up a rank.
Lt. Gen. Daniel H. Tulley has been nominated to become the commander of Air Mobility Command. Tulley is currently the head of Air University. AMC’s command job has been filled on an interim basis by Lt. Gen. Rebecca Sonkiss since Gen. John. D Lamontagne became Vice Chief of Staff of the Air Force in February.
In a long-anticipated move, Air Mobility Command is set to be downgraded from a four-star to a three-star command. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has moved to reduce the number of four-star generals and admirals by 20 percent, and USAFE-AFA and Air Force Materiel Command have already moved down a rank to three-star roles.
In another move, Maj. Gen. David G. Shoemaker, currently the deputy commander of Air Forces Central and the deputy combined forces air component commander for U.S. Central Command, is set to become the deputy commander of U.S. Forces Korea and the head of the 7th Air Force as a three-star general. In his current role, Shoemaker has helped oversee the air campaign against Iran, Operation Epic Fury, under the AFCENT commander and CFACC, Lt. Gen. Derek C. France.
Air Force Academy
Moga has been seen as the favorite in Air Force circles to lead USAFA. He will succeed Superintendent Lt. Gen. Tony Bauernfeind who will retire later this year. During Bauernfeind’s tenure, the academy focused on readiness and increasing the military mindset.
Moga is an F-15C and F-22 pilot and served as the academy’s Commandant of Cadets, the school’s No. 2 leadership post, in 2021-2023.
Air Mobility Command
For the new head of AMC, the Air Force and administration is tapping Tulley, who commands Air University, which leads the service’s professional military education. Tulley has served in a variety of mobility roles and was previously the director of operations for U.S. Transportation Command. He is a career KC-135 and C-130 pilot.
7th Air Force
Despite his recent role in Middle East operations, Shoemaker, an F-16 pilot, has extensive experience in the Pacific to draw upon should he be confirmed to lead the 7th Air Force and become the deputy commander of USFK. He also previously served as director of operations for Air Combat Command. Earlier in his career, he commanded the 8th Fighter Wing at Kunsan Air Base in South Korea.