Come next March, the 80th Flying Training Wing at Sheppard AFB, Tex., will have a command chief in place for the first time as its senior enlisted leader instead of a wing superintendant as has been its practice. The change came about as a result of an Air Force-wide review of all command chief master sergeant positions for Fiscal 2010. “This is a great step in ensuring the enlisted men and women of the wing have the appropriate leadership and representation,” said CMSgt. Norm Thierolf, the wing’s current superintendent. According to the Sheppard release, all other USAF wings already had command chief positions. (Sheppard release)
The U.S. supports “a stronger and more capable” European defense, Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III said during an Oct. 22 press conference in Brussels—but that defense should not duplicate the functions and capabilities of the NATO alliance.