President Obama on Wednesday nominated Marine Corps Gen. James Mattis to head US Central Command. If the Senate approves his nomination, Mattis, would fill the void at CENTCOM’s top post left by the departure of Army Gen. David Petraeus in late June. Obama tasked Petraeus to take command of US and NATO forces in Afghanistan after the resignation of Army Gen. Stanley McChrystal from that position. In his new role, Mattis, current US Joint Forces Command boss, would oversee more than 200,000 US troops as well as the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. In related news, Obama on Tuesday nominated Gen. James Amos to be the new Marine Corps commandant. If confirmed, Amos would be the first Marine aviator to lead the Corps. He would succeed Gen. James Conway, who is retiring. (Defense Department release on Mattis) (DOD release on Amos) (See also AFPS report on Mattis.)
New Budget Deal Could Cost USAF Up to $14 Billion
March 12, 2025
The Air Force would suffer the loss of billions of dollars of buying power under a yearlong Continuing Resolution, only somewhat mitigated by proposals that would allow it to pursue new starts, Lt. Gen. Adrian Spain, deputy chief of staff for operations, told the readiness subcommittee of the Senate Armed…