Air Combat Command has a new No. 2 after the previous vice commander was fired for saying airmen are "committing treason" by reaching out to Congress to protect the A-10.
The Air Force announced this week that Maj. Gen. Jerry Harris, the director of programs in the office of the deputy chief of staff for strategic plans and programs, will be the new vice commander of ACC. The previous vice commander, Maj. Gen. James Post, was removed from the command and reprimanded for his reported remarks at an Air Force conference earlier this year at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada.
Harris has served in his current position at the Pentagon since March 2014. He previously served as the vice commander of 5th Air Force at Yokota Air Base, Japan, and as the commander of the 56th Fighter Wing at Luke Air Force Base, Arizona, among other wing and squadron commander positions.
He is a command pilot with more than 3,000 flight hours in the T-37, T-38, F-16, Mig-29 and Mig-21.
The Air Force Inspector General found that Post did used the word "treason" to describe reaching out to Congress on behalf of the A-10 while speaking to more than 300 airmen at the Jan. 10 Tactics Review Board. The Air Force's repeated attempts to retire the Warthog have met stiff opposition from both lawmakers and many in the service.
"The IG report surmised that Post's 'choice of words had the effect of attempting to prevent some members from lawfully communicating with Congress,' which is a violation of the U.S. Code and DoD Directives, "whether that was his intention or not," Air Combat Command said in a release.
The Air Force has not said what Post's new job will be.
