The Senate approved the President’s nomination of Lt. Gen. Janet Wolfenbarger to receive a fourth star for her new assignment as commander of Air Force Materiel Command at Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio. She becomes the Air Force’s first female four-star general. Wolfenbarger has been serving as military deputy in the Air Force Secretariat’s acquisition office since September. She’ll replace Gen. Donald Hoffman, who’s led AFMC since November 2008. The change-of-command ceremony is scheduled for June 5. The Senate also cleared the way for Lt. Gen. C.D. Moore, AFMC’s vice commander since October, to lead the new Air Force Life Cycle Management Center that the command is establishing at Wright-Patt. The center is expected to commence initial operations in October. It will provide life-cycle management of Air Force weapon systems. (Wright-Patt release) (See also SAF/PA release)
The U.S. military is maintaining a beefed-up presence in the Middle East, including fighters and air defense assets, following the U.S. strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities June 22 and subsequent retaliation by the Iranians against Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar.
