President Obama intends to nominate CIA Director Leon Panetta to be the next Defense Secretary and Army Gen. David Petraeus to take over for Panetta at the intelligence agency, according to press reports. Petraeus currently commands US and NATO forces in Afghanistan. The President is expected to nominate them sometime this week, reports the Washington Post. Panetta, who’s been at the CIA’s helm since February 2009, would replace Robert Gates, who has led the Pentagon since December 2006. Gates has previously announced his intent to step down this year in order for the Administration to resolve the issue of his successor before 2012 and the politicized climate of a Presidential election year. Petraeus has been in charge in Afghanistan since last July. (See also CBS News report and Associated Press report via Forbes.com)
The Next-Generation Air Dominance Fighter is Air Combat Command’s top priority, because without it, the Air Force can’t provide the control of the air the whole military depends on to operate, Air Combat Command chief Gen. Mark D. Kelly said. He also named a replacement for the E-3 AWACS, new…