The man generally known as the architect of what’s termed “effects based operations,” Air Force Lt. Gen. David Deptula, set the tone for representatives from all combatant commands at a US Pacific Command-sponsored EBO workshop. (Read Deptula’s 2001 article in Air Force Magazine.) Deptula, who is commander of the Kenney warfighting center at Hickam AFB, Hawaii, told attendees that EBO is “not a process” and it shouldn’t be turned into “a tactic, technique, or procedure.” And, he maintains it is “not service specific.” Deptula describes EBO as a “methodology or a way of thinking” that “needs to supplement tried-and-true practices of military force application.” That methodology would include all options—from diplomatic to military—to achieve strategic objectives.
Air Force Gen. Jacqueline D. Van Ovost—a trailblazer and one of the first 10 women to reach a four-star rank across the U.S. military—retired and passed control of U.S. Transportation Command to Air Force Gen. Randall Reed on Oct. 4, finishing an eventful tenure at TRANSCOM.