This article was originally published at 10:13 a.m. EST on June 24, 2016. See the full story here.
The retirement ceremony for Gen. Mark Welsh, the Air Force's 20th chief of staff, is being held at 10:30 a.m. EST on Friday at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland.
Welsh is retiring after 40 years of service in the Air Force, and four years as the Air Force's top uniformed leader. He graduated from the Air Force Academy in June 1976 and is a command pilot with more than 3,300 flight hours in the F-16, A-10, T-37 and TG-7A aircraft.
After retiring, Welsh will become dean of the Bush School of Government and Public Service at Texas A&M University. His first day there will be Aug. 15.
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.
