Lt. Gen. Hawk Carlisle has relinquished command of 13th Air Force at JB Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii, to Lt. Gen. Ted Kresge. Kresge, a command pilot with more than 4,000 hours in the cockpits of trainers and F-15s, comes to the numbered air force from Nellis AFB, Nev., where he led the Air Force Warfare Center. “You’ve built an impressive reputation. Before I arrived, various Air Force senior mentors told me that 13th Air Force truly knows its business. That was echoed by senior officers across your [major command] staff, and from my brief interaction with you,” said Kresge to Hickam’s airmen during the Dec. 10 change-of-command ceremony. He added, “It’s clear I’m joining an A-team.” Carlisle returns to the Pentagon where he will serve as the Air Staff’s deputy chief of staff for operations, plans, and requirements. (Hickam report by TSgt. Kerry Jackson)
Three B-1B Lancers from the 7th Bomb Wing flew over the Indo-Pacific alongside F-16s from the Japanese Air Self Defense Force recently, as part of a joint large force exercise. The mission began and ended in the continental U.S., as the bombers flew 31 hours and landed Jan. 11.