Lt. Gen. Herbert Carlisle 
assumed command of 13th Air Force Wednesday during a change-of-command ceremony at its headquarters at Hickam AFB, Hawaii. Gen. Gary North, Pacific Air Forces boss, presided over the ceremony. “Gen. Carlisle’s breadth and depth of experience and leadership abilities are exactly the reason we have brought him to command 13th Air Force,” said North. Carlisle, who had been the Air Force’s legislative liaison director since November 2007, now oversees the component numbered air force that supports US Pacific Command in the Asia-Pacific region, excluding the Korean theater. He replaces Lt. Gen. Loyd Utterback, who is retiring from the Air Force, effective Nov. 1, after more than 33 years of service. Carlisle was promoted to lieutenant general by North on Sept. 1. (Hickam report by Capt. Genieve David)
The Pentagon is counting on Congress to navigate a legislative tightrope and pass a party-line bill to fund nearly a quarter of its $1.5 trillion budget request for fiscal 2027, including billions of dollars for top priorities like Golden Dome, the F-35, munitions, and unmanned systems. Experts and lawmakers from…