The Air Force on Aug. 5 announced the formal separation of 9th Air Force and Air Forces Central, in what services leaders had told Congress will be a temporary split to enable AFCENT to focus exclusively on the on-going operations in Southwest Asia, particularly as things ramp up in Afghanistan. The stateside 9th AF, still based at Shaw AFB, S.C., will continue to provide management oversight for six wings and one direct reporting unit and be led by Maj. Gen. William Holland. AFCENT, which will have about 50 personnel on its headquarters staff and will be forward deployed in the US Central Command area of responsibility, is now led by Lt. Gen. Gilmary Hostage III. According to the Aug. 5 announcement, the service temporarily redesignated 9th AF/AFCENT as AFCENT and activated a new 9th AF.
NASA Boss: Race to Moon Has National Security Stakes
Sept. 15, 2026
NASA is pushing hard to get astronauts back to the moon by 2028—and the urgency is driven in no small part by the national security implications of doing so before China does, Administrator Jared Isaacman said Sept. 15.
