President Obama has tapped Lt. Gen. John Hesterman to become the next leader of Air Forces Central, announced the Pentagon on Jan. 24. AFCENT oversees the Air Force’s air and space operations in places including Afghanistan, Central Asia, and the Middle East. Hesterman currently serves as the military deputy for readiness to the undersecretary of defense for personnel and readiness in the Pentagon. If the Senate approves this move, Hesterman would replace Lt. Gen. David Goldfein, who has led AFCENT since August 2011. Obama also nominated Maj. Gen. William Etter for a third star for assignment as commander of 1st Air Force and the Continental US NORAD Region at Tyndall AFB, Fla., according to the same release. Etter has been the assistant to the Joint Chiefs Chairman for National Guard matters since June 2012. He would fill the vacancy created by the departure of Lt. Gen. Stanley Clarke, who has received Senate confirmation to be the next Air National Guard director.
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.