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.
The crash of a T-38 trainer jet this May—which caused a weekslong pause in flights across the fleet—was caused by an improperly installed pin for one of the jet’s horizontal stabilizers, according to a new accident report released Oct. 30. When the pin disengaged midflight, it created the slightest amount…