Brig. Gen. Margaret Woodward has been tapped to take command of 17th Air Force (Air Forces Africa) at Ramstein AB, Germany. She has been vice commander of 18th Air Force at Scott AFB, Ill., since January 2009. If the Senate approves her nomination, she’ll replace Maj. Gen. Ronald Ladnier, who had headed 17th AF since October 2008 and is set to retire officially on Sept. 1 after 33 years of uniformed service. Woodward entered the Air Force in 1983. She is a command pilot with more than 3,500 flight hours in KC-135 tankers, trainer platforms, and C-37A and C-40B passenger transports. (Pentagon release)
House lawmakers unveiled a new reconciliation package July 15 with $60 billion for defense, $290 billion less than the Pentagon has been seeking, a day after a Senate vote to advance the annual defense policy bill failed—developments that show the perilous state of the Pentagon’s ambitious plans for fiscal 2027.