The Senate confirmed the nomination of Lt. Gen. Hawk Carlisle to receive a fourth star for his new assignment as commander of Pacific Air Forces. The Senate announced the confirmation on June 29. Carlisle will succeed Gen. Gary North, who has led PACAF since August 2009. North is retiring, effective Oct. 1, ending a 36-year Air Force career. Carlisle has overseen operations, plans, and requirements issues on the Air Staff since January 2011. President Obama nominated him for the promotion to command PACAF in January, but Sen. Mark Begich (D-Alaska) subsequently placed a hold on the nomination until last month. Begich wanted more details of the Air Force’s proposed relocation of its F-16 aggressor unit from Eielson Air Force Base to Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson.
Congress wants new engines in the F-35 fleet, with installs starting in 2027, according to language in the conference version of the 2022 National Defense Authorization Act. The Air Force is to use at least one of the engines developed under the Advanced Engine Transition Program, but the Navy and…