The full Senate after floor debate Thursday confirmed Gen. George Casey Jr. as the next Army Chief of Staff. His nomination riled several lawmakers, making it out of the Senate Armed Services Committee but, unlike the relatively easy pass through for Adm. William Fallon to replace Casey as head of US Central Command, it was the subject of floor debate Thursday afternoon.
U.S. Air Force F-35s and F-22s regularly deploy deep into the Pacific region from Alaska, Utah, and Hawaii. In the future, though, the head of U.S. Indo-Pacific Command would like to see the Air Force permanently station fifth-generation aircraft west of the international date line—closer to China.