The Senate has confirmed Lt. Gen. Mark Welsh III to receive a fourth star and take command of US Air Forces in Europe. He will replace Gen. Roger Brady, who has led USAFE since January 2008 and who will retire with more than 40 years of service. Welsh currently serves as associate director of the CIA for military support/associate director for military affairs. He is a 1976 Air Force Academy graduate and initially trained as an A-10 pilot, later transitioning to the F-16. He has served in various operations and staff assignments and commanded at the squadron, group, and wing levels. Welsh served as director of plans and programs at USAFE, director of global power programs on the Air Staff, and deputy intelligence-surveillance-reconnaissance component commander at US Strategic Command.
Lockheed Martin projects more than a billion dollars of losses on a classified program, but company officials said April 23 they are confident it will turn profitable by 2028 and become a "franchise" system in the U.S. military.