President Obama has nominated Army Gen. Raymond Odierno to take command of US Joint Forces Command. Odierno has been the top US general in Iraq since September 2008. He would replace Marine Corps Gen. James Mattis, who had led JFCOM since November 2007. JFCOM, headquartered in Norfolk, Va., leads the US military’s activities in joint concept development and experimentation, joint training, and joint capabilities development. It is also the joint provider of conventional forces to combatant commanders. (DOD release)
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.