Maj. Gen. Richard Webber, the first commander of the 24th Air Force, USAF’s cyber arm, relinquished command to Maj. Gen. Suzanne Vautrinot during a ceremony at Lackland AFB, Tex. Under Webber’s leadership, 24th AF went from activation to full operational capability in just 14 months. It also became the Air Force’s operational component of US Cyber Command. “Clearly these are historic achievements and it’s a testament to Dick Webber’s leadership skills to harness the talents of this outstanding group of professionals and, by any measure, he has built an incredible team,” said Gen. William Shelton, Air Force Space Command boss, who presided over the April 29 change-of-command ceremony. Webber is retiring, effective July 1, after 36 years of service. Vautrinot most recently served as the special assistant to the Air Force vice chief in Washington, D.C. (Lackland release by TSgt. Scott McNabb)
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.