Gen. Tom Hobbins hasn’t been on the job as commander of US Air Forces in Europe long, but he is confident in the direction of the command, reports Air Force journalist MSgt. Chuck Roberts. Hobbins served as USAFE’s director of operations in 1999 during Operation Allied Force, but he is out and about, talking with current USAFE airmen to assess the operation. “I’m really here to listen at first and try to understand what it is that people are doing and what it is they would see us do to make the team better,” Hobbins said. One big change is the shift of USAFE from a primarily fighter-based command to one that includes a hefty mobility mission.
Amid NATO’s continued push to ramp up air defenses in Eastern Europe, Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall swung by seven allied countries to boost relations last week, including those on Russia’s and Ukraine’s doorstep.