The Senate on June 23 confirmed Lt. Gen. John Hesterman to be assistant vice chief of staff and director of the Air Staff. Hesterman has served as Air Forces Central Command boss since July 2013. A 1983 Air Force Academy graduate, Hesterman has served as an instructor pilot in the F-16C, F-117A, F-15A, and the T-38C. (For more coverage of Hesterman, see US Official: Air Strikes in Iraq, Syria are Effective, and No Micromanagement of Iraq Campaign, Air Boss Says.)
A U.S. Air Force B-52 bomber flew from Europe across the Middle East to the Persian Gulf on July 25 in a 32-hour flight, as conflicts continued to roil the area with U.S. troops coming under attack in Iraq and Syria on July 25 and July 26, U.S. officials told…