President Obama has nominated Army Gen. Carter Ham to be the next commander of US Africa Command. If confirmed by the Senate, Ham would replace Army Gen. Kip Ward, who has led AFRICOM since its inception in October 2007. Ham is currently serving as the commanding general of US Army Europe and Seventh Army, both in Heidelberg, Germany. AFRICOM is headquartered in Stuttgart, Germany. The command is charged with providing US military support to US government policy in Africa, including military-to-military relationships with African partner nations. (DOD release)
Air Force exercises in the Indo-Pacific may soon get even bigger and more robust, as lawmakers move to invest more than $620 million in such efforts. The bulk of that money, contained in a $150 billion reconciliation package currently making its way through Congress, is $532.6 million for earmarked for…