Maj. Gen. Winfield Scott III, commander of 18th Air Force, on June 12 relieved Col. John McDonald of command of the 43rd Airlift Wing at Pope AFB, N.C. According to a June 13 report in the Fayetteville Observer, a statement from 18th AF indicated McDonald was removed “for cause.” The statement went on to say that Scott had decided McDonald’s “actions rendered him ineffective” as the wing commander. Col. James Johnson, formerly vice commander of the 19th AW at Little Rock AFB, Ark., was to arrive at Pope over the past weekend to replace McDonald, who has been assigned as a special assistant to Scott at 18th AF. Note that Johnson’s biography replaced McDonald’s Friday afternoon on the Pope Web site.
United Launch Alliance’s new Vulcan Centaur rocket is slated to fly its second national security mission in February—nearly six months after its first operational launch and almost a year after it was certified to fly military payloads for the Space Force.
