Lt. Gen. Daniel James III formally retired Wednesday as the director of the Air National Guard, serving in that post since June 2002. Over his 38-year career, James accumulated more than 4,000 flying hours, including flying 300 combat missions in Vietnam and earning two Distinguished Flying Crosses. In a speech at Andrews AFB, Md., in March, James thanked ANG airmen for their service, – emphasizing the role of the Air Guard in securing America’s skies after the 9/11 attacks and moving 48,000 Guard members to the Gulf Coast after last year’s Hurricane Katrina. “You make it look so effortless,” he said. “Thank you all for what you do.”
The Air Force still needs more than 300 combat squadrons, but the biggest priority is not number of squadrons but capability, Chief of Staff Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr. said Sept. 22. He also suggested the records set by the Next Generation Air Dominance prototype likely have more to do…