President Obama has nominated Army Gen. Carter Ham to be the next commander of US Africa Command. If confirmed by the Senate, Ham would replace Army Gen. Kip Ward, who has led AFRICOM since its inception in October 2007. Ham is currently serving as the commanding general of US Army Europe and Seventh Army, both in Heidelberg, Germany. AFRICOM is headquartered in Stuttgart, Germany. The command is charged with providing US military support to US government policy in Africa, including military-to-military relationships with African partner nations. (DOD release)
A three-month continuing resolution that ended in December inflicted less pain on the Department of the Air Force than it had expected, as procurement and construction continue in the new year. The federal government operated under a stopgap spending measure that stretched from the beginning of the fiscal year on…