President Obama has nominated Lt. Gen. Marshall Webb for assignment as commander of Air Force Special Operations Command at Hurlburt Field, Fla., according to a March 16 announcement. Webb currently serves as NATO Special Operations Headquarters commander in Mons, Belgium. If confirmed, he would replace Lt. Gen. Bradley Heithold, who has led the command since July 2014.
After years of experiments and tests, senior Air Force leaders say they're on the verge of using C-17s and other cargo aircraft to launch cruise missiles via airdrop, touting the development as a way to bolster the combat fleet and a major shift in the service’s mindset.