The Senate has confirmed the two Air Force lieutenant generals who will each receive a fourth star when they take the helms of Pacific Air Forces and Air Mobility Command—Lt. Gen. Gary North and Lt. Gen. Raymond Johns Jr., respectively. The Obama Administration formally nominated both officers for their new posts on July 8 (our earlier coverage on North and on Johns). North has served as commander of 9th Air Force/Air Forces Central since February 2006. Johns has served as the Air Staff’s deputy chief of staff for strategic plans and programs since October 2006.
The Air Force is moving forward with a new, algorithm-driven system to help U.S. Northern Command better detect airborne threats. NORTHCOM and the North American Aerospace Defense Command, which are tasked with protecting the homeland from attack, depend on a slew of radars and other data systems to monitor U.S.…