Gen. Donald Hoffman assumed
command of Air Force Materiel Command Nov. 21 during a ceremony presided over by Gen. Norton Schwartz, Chief of Staff, at Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio. “I’m honored to join this team,” said Hoffman of the 74,000 civilian and military members of AFMC who develop, test, and sustain the service’s weapon systems. “Together, we will continue to produce a product and provide services for our warfighters that will dissuade and deter those who wish us harm,” he continued. Hoffman succeeds Gen. Bruce Carlson, who led AFMC since August 2005 and is retiring after 37 years of service, effective Jan. 1, 2009. “Bruce, you can be confident that AFMC successfully delivers war-winning expeditionary capabilities to the warfighter,” said Schwartz, adding, “Your work is going to pay wonderful dividends for years to come.” Carlson said it was an honor to serve the command. “During my tenure as AFMC commander, it was a privilege to serve alongside people who were unified in purpose and in decision,” he said. “It’s a remarkable opportunity for a commander when you have a group of people like that around you,” he added. Hoffman received his fourth star during a brief promotion ceremony prior to the change of command. Prior to this post, he served for more than three years as military deputy to the Air Force’s acquisition executive. (Wright-Patterson report by John Scaggs)
A provision in the fiscal 2025 defense policy bill will require the Defense Department to include the military occupational specialty of service members who die by suicide in its annual report on suicide deaths, though it remains to be seen how much data the department will actually disclose.