President Obama has tapped Lt. Gen. Stephen Wilson, commander of Air Force Global Strike, to serve as the deputy commander of US Strategic Command at Offutt AFB, Neb. If confirmed by the Senate, he will replace Lt. Gen. James Kowalski, who has served in the position since October 2013. Kowalski is planning to retire, according to an internal Air Force memo. The President previously nominated Air Education and Training Command boss Gen. Robin Rand for the AFGSC job, which will be elevated to a four-star billet after Wilson leaves as part of a sweeping overhaul of the Defense Department’s nuclear enterprise. Obama also nominated Maj. Gen. Arnold Bunch for a third star and for assignment as military deputy in the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition at the Pentagon. Bunch, who currently serves as commander of the Air Force Test Center at Edwards AFB, Calif., will replace Lt. Gen. Ellen Pawlikowski, who was nominated for a fourth star and for assignment as head of Air Force Materiel Command. (Pentagon announcement)
President Donald Trump’s nominee for Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff touted his highly unusual background for the job as an asset and reaffirmed his commitment to stay apolitical during a confirmation hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee on April 1.