Newly promoted Maj. Gen. Bob LaBrutta took command of the 2nd Air Force at Keesler AFB, Miss., on Aug. 26. LaBrutta, who previously commanded the 502nd Air Base Wing and JB San Antonio, replaced Maj. Gen. Mark Brown, who will serve as Air Education and Training Command’s vice commander, according to an AETC release. In his role, LaBrutta will oversee basic, initial skills, and advanced technical training for enlisted airmen and support officers. “Together we’ll continue to provide unrivaled training and development through inspirational leadership to the trainees, Airmen, joint and coalition partners who power the world’s greatest Air Force,” he said, according to the release. LaBrutta, who went through Keesler’s technical school at the beginning of his career, described taking command as “a bit surreal.”
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.