Maj. Gen. Winfield Scott III, commander of 18th Air Force, on June 12 relieved Col. John McDonald of command of the 43rd Airlift Wing at Pope AFB, N.C. According to a June 13 report in the Fayetteville Observer, a statement from 18th AF indicated McDonald was removed “for cause.” The statement went on to say that Scott had decided McDonald’s “actions rendered him ineffective” as the wing commander. Col. James Johnson, formerly vice commander of the 19th AW at Little Rock AFB, Ark., was to arrive at Pope over the past weekend to replace McDonald, who has been assigned as a special assistant to Scott at 18th AF. Note that Johnson’s biography replaced McDonald’s Friday afternoon on the Pope Web site.
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.