Royal Canadian Air Force Lt. Gen. Alain Parent became NORAD’s deputy commander on Sept. 4 during a ceremony at Peterson AFB, Colo. “You are the right leader at the right time for this critical job for both our countries to sustain and advance the relevance and strength of NORAD,” said Army Gen. Charles Jacoby, NORAD commander, who presided over the change-of-office ceremony. Jacoby added, “I will enjoy working closely with you in leading NORAD and coordinating NORAD’s work with [US Northern Command] and the new Canadian Joint Operations Command.” Parent, who previously served as commander of 1 Canadian Air Division that supports the Canadian NORAD Region, replaced RCAF Lt. Gen. Thomas Lawson, who held the post since July 2011. Parent said he was “honored and humbled” to assume his new role. “NORAD is an extremely strategic and important bi-national agreement for Canada and plays an integral part in the security of our nation,” he said. (NORAD release)
The 301st Fighter Wing in Fort Worth, Texas, became the first standalone Reserve unit in the Air Force to get its own F-35s, welcoming the first fighter Nov. 5.