Brig. Gen. Glen VanHerck has been was selected for promotion to major general and will be the next commander of the Air Force Warfare Center at Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada, the Pentagon said in a Jan. 21 release.
VanHerck, who is currently director of operations for Air Force Global Strike Command at Barksdale Air Force Base in Louisiana, will replace Maj. Gen. Jay Silveria. Silveria has been assigned to be deputy commander of US Air Forces Central Command and deputy Combined Forces Air Component Commander of U.S. Central Command in Southwest Asia.
VanHerck is a command pilot with more than 3,200 flight hours in the F-15, B-1B, B-2A and other aircraft. He previously served as the commander of the 7th Bomb Wing at Dyess Air Force Base in Texas and the 509th Bomb Wing at Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri.
Silveria is also a command pilot with more than 3,800 flight hours in the F-35A, F-15C and E, the HH-60 and other aircraft. Before commanding the Air Force Warfare Center, he was vice commander of the 14th Air Force at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.
Four colonels have also been selected to receive their first star and new assignments:
- Col. John Wilcox II will be director of strategic plans, programs, requirements and assignments at Global Strike Command. Wilcox is now commander of the 341st Missile Wing at Global Strike Command.
- Col. Matthew Isler will be deputy commanding general-air for the Combined Joint Forces Land Component Command-Iraq. Isler is now commander of the 12th Flying Training Wing at Air Education and Training Command at Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph in Texas.
- Col. Jeannie Leavitt will be commander of the 57th Fighter Wing at Air Combat Command at Nellis. Leavitt is now principal military assistant to the secretary of Defense.
- Col. James Peccia III will be director of budget operations and personnel for the Air Force's deputy assistant secretary for budget. Peccia is now associate director of budget operations and personnel.
And XX Five brigadier generals will receive new assignments:
- Brig. Gen. Ferdinand Stoss, who is now director of strategic plans, programs, requirements and assessments for Global Strike Command, will replace VanHerck as its new director of operations.
- Brig. Gen. Jeffrey Taliaferro, who is now director of plans, programs and requirements at Air Combat Command headquarters at Joint Base Langley-Eustis in Virginia, will be commander of the 9th Air and Space Expeditionary Task Force-Afghanistan.
- Brig. Gen. Russell Mack, who is now inspector general of ACC headquarters, will replace Taliaferro as director of plans, programs and requirements at ACC.
- Brig. Gen. Richard Coe, who is deputy commanding general-air for Combined Joint Forces Land Component Command-Iraq, will replace Mack as ACC inspector general.
- Brig. Gen. Christopher Short, who is now commander of ACC's 57th Fighter Wing at Nellis, will be senior defense official and defense attache-United Kingdom, Defense Intelligence Agency, at the U.S. embassy in the UK.
Stephen Losey is the air warfare reporter for Defense News. He previously covered leadership and personnel issues at Air Force Times, and the Pentagon, special operations and air warfare at Military.com. He has traveled to the Middle East to cover U.S. Air Force operations.
