Gen. William Shelton on Wednesday accepted command of Air Force Space Command at Peterson AFB, Colo. Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Norton Schwartz presided over the change-of-command ceremony, before which Shelton received his fourth star. Shelton succeeds Gen. Robert Kehler, who led AFSPC since October 2007 and has received Senate confirmation for his new assignment leading US Strategic Command at Offutt AFB, Neb. “I’ve been in and out of Air Force Space Command since 1986, so to have the good fortune to come back to command this great organization is truly a special privilege,” said Shelton upon assuming his new post. His most recent job was as USAF’s assistant vice chief of staff from July 2009. Among his space assignments, Shelton led 14th Air Force (Air Forces Strategic) at Vandenberg AFB, Calif., from May 2005 to December 2008. (Peterson release and second Peterson release) (Shelton’s updated biography)
While the Pentagon is halfway through its review of the Air Force’s new Sentinel intercontinental ballistic missile program in the wake of “critical” cost and schedule overruns, the service has declared a similar issue for the helicopters meant to provide security and transport across those ICBM fields. The Air Force recently…