President Obama has selected Maj. Gen. Bradley Heithold to be vice commander of US Special Operations Command. He’s also nominated Heithold for promotion to the rank of lieutenant general. Heithold has been in charge of the Air Force Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance Agency at Lackland AFB, Tex., since February 2009. (DOD release)
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.