Gen. Mark Welsh became the Air Force’s 20th Chief of Staff during a ceremony at JB Andrews, Md., on Aug. 10. Air Force Secretary Michael Donley swore in Welsh at 11:56 a.m. US East Coast time. “Today, being sworn in as the Chief of Staff of the Air Force, I just feel humble,” Welsh told the assembled airmen and guests after assuming command. “No one has been more proud to be your Chief of Staff, and it’s about time I get to work.” Welsh replaced Gen. Norton Schwartz, who served as Chief of Staff since August 2008 and is retiring from the Air Force after 39 years in uniform.
It'll take up to 18 months for Lockheed Martin to deliver the 100 or so F-35s that went directly from production line to storage, awaiting the completion of Tech Refresh 3 testing. Customers haven't complained about the order in which the backlog is being delivered.