Defense Secretary Ash Carter has named Air Force Lt. Gen. Marshall Webb to lead Air Force Special Operations Command.
Webb is currently serving as commander, North Atlantic Treaty Organization Special Operations Headquarters, Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe in Mons, Belgium. Since assuming his position in August 2014, Webb directly reports to Air Force Gen. Phillip Breedlove, the Supreme Allied Commander of Europe. He is a command pilot with more than 3,700 flying hours, including 117 combat hours in Afghanistan, Iraq and Bosnia, according to his biography, and has flown MC-130s, and rotary-wing aircraft including the MH-53H/J/M, CV-22B and UH-1H/N.
If confirmed, Webb would replace Lt.Gen. Bradley Heithold, who has held the position since July 2014.
In addition to Webb, Carter announced the following promotions on Wednesday:
- Brig. Gen. Robert Polumbo has been nominated to the rank of major general. Polumbo is currently serving as the special assistant to the commander, Air Force Reserve Command, Headquarters Air Force Reserve Command, Robins Air Force Base, Georgia.
- Col. Bradley Saltzman has been nominated to the rank of brigadier general. Saltzman is currently serving as the executive officer to the commander, Air Force Space Command, Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado.
- Col. Andrea Tullos has been nominated to the rank of brigadier general. Tullos is currently serving as the commander, 42nd Air Base Wing, Air Education and Training Command, Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama.
- Col. Craig Wills has been nominated to the rank of brigadier general. Wills is currently serving as the executive officer to the commander, Pacific Air Forces, Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii.
Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Mark Welsh on Thursday also made the following appointments:
- Brig. Gen. Bradley Spacy, who has been selected to the grade of major general, from director, expeditionary support, Air Force Installation and Mission Support Center, Air Force Materiel Command, Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, Texas. He has been assigned to be the commander, Air Force Installation and Mission Support Center, Air Force Materiel Command, Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, Texas.
- Spacy will be replaced by Col. Linda Hurry, who has been selected to the grade of brigadier general, and is currently the commander, 635th Wing, Air Force Materiel Command, Scott Air Force Base, Illinois, to director, expeditionary support, Air Force Installation and Mission Support Center, Air Force Materiel Command, Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, Texas.
- Maj. Gen. Scott West, commander, 9th Air and Space Expeditionary Task Force-Afghanistan; commander, NATO Air Command-Afghanistan; director, Air Force Central Command Air Component Coordination Element for U.S. Forces Afghanistan (USFOR-A) in support of NATO’s Operation Resolute Support; and deputy commander-air for USFOR-A, Air Combat Command, Kabul, Afghanistan. He has been assigned to be the director of current operations, Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Washington.
- Brig. Gen. David Julazadeh, commander, 455th Air Expeditionary Wing, Air Combat Command, Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan, has been assigned to be the deputy director, operations, J-3, Headquarters U.S. Central Command, MacDill Air Force Base, Florida.
- Julazadeh will be replaced by Col. James Sears, Jr., who has been selected to the grade of brigadier general. He is currently the director, assignments and air expeditionary force operations, Headquarters Air Force Personnel Center, Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph, Texas, to commander, 455th Air Expeditionary Wing, Air Combat Command, Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan.
- Brig. Gen. Mark Weatherington, deputy director for command, control, communications and computers/cyber, J-6, Joint Staff, Pentagon. He has been assigned to be the director, cyberspace operations, North American Aerospace Defense Command, U.S. Northern Command, Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado.
- Weatherington will be replaced by Brig. Gen. Thomas Murphy, currently the vice commander, 24th Air Force, Air Force Space Command; and deputy commander, Air Forces Cyber, U.S. Cyber Command, Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, Texas, to deputy director for command, control, communications and computers/cyber, J-6, Joint Staff, Pentagon, Washington, District of Columbia.
- Brig. Gen. Mitchel Butikofer, director, command, control, communications and cyber systems, Headquarters U.S. Transportation Command, Scott Air Force Base, Illinois, will replace Murphy as the 24th Air Force vice commander, 24th Air Force, Air Force Space Command; and commander, Air Forces Cyber, U.S. Cyber Command, Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, Texas.
- Butikofer will be replaced by Col. Angela Cadwell, who has been selected to the grade of brigadier general, and is currently the executive officer to the deputy commander, U.S. European Command, Stuttgart-Vaihingen, Germany. , to director, command, control, communications and cyber systems, Headquarters U.S. Transportation Command, Scott Air Force Base, Illinois.
