Brig. Gen. Margaret Woodward has been tapped to take command of 17th Air Force (Air Forces Africa) at Ramstein AB, Germany. She has been vice commander of 18th Air Force at Scott AFB, Ill., since January 2009. If the Senate approves her nomination, she’ll replace Maj. Gen. Ronald Ladnier, who had headed 17th AF since October 2008 and is set to retire officially on Sept. 1 after 33 years of uniformed service. Woodward entered the Air Force in 1983. She is a command pilot with more than 3,500 flight hours in KC-135 tankers, trainer platforms, and C-37A and C-40B passenger transports. (Pentagon release)
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.…