Lt. Gen. Scott Rice pinned on his third star and assumed his new role as director of the Air National Guard on Tuesday. Rice, who previously served as the adjutant general of the Massachusetts National Guard, replaced Maj. Gen. Brian Neal, who has served as the acting director since Lt. Gen. Stanley Clarke retired in March. National Guard Bureau Chief Army Gen. Frank Grass, who presided over the ceremony, said Rice “has all the right tools to do this job,” though he cautioned it was not going to be easy.
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth vowed to undertake far-reaching reforms on the way the U.S. military buys weapons, promising a sweeping overhaul of the way the Defense Department determines requirements, handles the acquisition process, and tests its kit. The fundamental goal, which Hegseth underscored in a 1-hour and 10-minute speech…


