News

New Boss at ACC

The 633rd Air Base Wing Honor Guard presents the colors at the Air
Combat Command change of command ceremony at JB Langley-Eustis,
Va., Nov. 4, 2014. Air Force photo by SSgt. Candice Page.

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Gen. Hawk Carlisle assumed command of Air Combat
Command from Gen. Mike Hostage during a change of command ceremony at JB
Langley-Eustis, Va., on Tuesday, according to a Nov. 4 release. USAF Vice
Chief of Staff Gen. Larry Spencer presided over the ceremony, which was
attended by Secretary Deborah Lee James as well as former Air Force Secretaries
Whit Peters and Mike Wynne as well as other military dignitaries. "The Air
Force is able to project combat air power around the globe 365 days a
year," Spencer said. "It is the most feared Air Force on the planet
and that's because of you." James said Hostage, who will retire after nearly four decades
in uniform, “has been a tireless leader” who is “dedicated and committed
to excellence and has indeed ushered that into ACC through a very tough and
challenging budget time in our Air Force history.” She also praised Carlisle,
saying he “really knows what it takes to be successful in the combat business
and has all the tools in his toolbox to be able to take this command to an even
higher level.” Carlisle, who previously led Pacific Air Forces, was last
stationed at ACC from June 1998 to March 2000 during which time he commanded the 1st
Operations Group at Langley. (See also Hostage’s
Warning from the October 2014 issue of Air Force Magazine.)