The Senate on Thursday confirmed Lt. Gen. James Holmes to receive his fourth star and take over as commander of Air Combat Command. Holmes, currently the deputy chief of staff for strategic plans and requirements, will take over from Gen. Hawk Carlisle, who is retiring. Carlisle has led ACC since October 2014. Holmes is a command pilot with more than 4,000 hours in multiple aircraft, mostly F-15s. Maj. Gen. John McMullen has been tapped to be Holmes’s deputy.
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.