President Obama has tapped Lt. Gen. John Thompson to lead the Space and Missile Systems at Los Angeles AFB, Calif., and Maj. Gen. Robert McMurry for his third star and assignment as commander of the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center at Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio, according to a Sept. 23 release. If confirmed, McMurry, who currently commands the Air Force Research Laboratory, would replace Thompson, who has led AFLCMC since October 2014. Thompson would replace Lt. Gen. Samuel Greaves, who has led SMC since October 2014. The Air Force has not yet announced a new assignment for Greaves.
The Air Force conducted its first test of a Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile in 2026 on March 3, launching an unarmed missile from Vandenberg Space Force Base, Calif., equipped with two test reentry vehicles at 11:01 p.m. Pacific Time.