Leon Panetta replaces Robert Gates at Secretary of Defense. Gates had led the Defense Department since December 2006, serving both President George W. Bush and President Barack Obama. Panetta previously was Director of Central Intelligence.
An important U.S. Air Force E-3 Sentry AWACS command and control plane was among the aircraft damaged in a March 27 Iranian missile and drone attack on Prince Sultan Air Base, Saudi Arabia, people familiar with the matter told Air & Space Forces Magazine.