CMSAF James Roy is scheduled to travel to Honolulu Aug. 26 to award the Order of the Sword to Gen. Gary North, commander of Pacific Air Forces. The Order of the Sword is presented by the Air Force’s noncommissioned officers to officers “who have made significant contributions to the enlisted corps.” The last PACAF commander to receive this honor was Gen. William Begert in 2004. Gen. Paul Hester, who commanded PACAF from 2004 to 2006, also received the award in 2004, but for his previous work as commander of Air Force Special Operations Command. The Order of the Sword is said to have been patterned after British and Swedish military orders in the Middle Ages. It was instituted by Air Force NCOs in 1967.
The two Collaborative Combat Aircraft prototypes are expected to fly very soon, as Anduril Industries and General Atomics Aeronautical Systems conclude ground tests. The two aircraft will fly from commercial airports in the desert areas north of Los Angeles, California, not far from Edwards Air Force Base.