The Senate has approved the nomination of Gen. Robert Kehler for his new assignment as commander of US Strategic Command at Offutt AFB, Neb. Kehler has led Air Force Space Command at Peterson AFB, Colo., since October 2007. He was STRATCOM’s deputy commander from May 2005 to October 2007. President Obama nominated Kehler to lead STRATCOM in September. Kehler went before the Senate Armed Services Committee last month for his nomination hearing. He will replace Gen. Kevin Chilton, who has commanded STRATCOM for more than three years. Chilton is retiring, effective Feb. 1, 2011.
When Donald Trump begins his second term as president in January, national security law experts anticipate he may return to his old habit of issuing orders to the military via social media, a practice which could cause confusion in the ranks.