Senior Air Force commander nominated for National Guard Bureau chief

A prime Air Drive commander on the North American Aerospace Protection Command (NORAD) has been nominated to be the subsequent chief of the Nationwide Guard Bureau, only a bit greater than every week earlier than the present chief retires.

The nomination of Air Drive Lt. Gen. Steven Nordhaus went to the Senate on Tuesday. If confirmed, he can be promoted to four-star normal and turn out to be a member of the Joint Chiefs of Employees. He would exchange Military Gen. Daniel Hokanson, who is about to retire Aug. 2.

A fighter pilot, Nordhaus is the commander of the first Air Drive and heads NORAD’s continental U.S. area, which offers and controls airspace surveillance and actions for the nation. Earlier than that, he was the particular assistant to the director of the Air Nationwide Guard.

His nomination is one in every of a number of prime Guard jobs which were languishing for weeks and months. The highest 4 officers of the Nationwide Guard Bureau have left or are set to retire in early August. Thus far, no nominations for his or her replacements have been confirmed by the Senate, leaving the bureau, the Air Guard and the Military Guard with out everlasting management as they head right into a busy hurricane season and a probably difficult election interval.

Along with Hokanson’s impending departure, Lt. Gen. Marc Sasseville, who was the vice chief, has already retired. Lt. Gen. Jon Jensen, who’s chief of the Military Guard however has been serving as appearing vice chief, will retire in early August. And Lt. Gen. Michael Loh, director of the Air Guard, has already retired.

The nomination of Air Drive Maj. Gen. Duke Pirak to turn out to be the subsequent Air Guard director was despatched to the Senate in March. He has been serving because the appearing director.

And Maj. Gen. Jonathan Stubbs, at present the adjutant normal in Arkansas, has been nominated to be the subsequent director of the Military Guard, to interchange Jensen.

No hearings or votes have been scheduled for both Stubbs or Pirak.

U.S. officers say that Military Maj. Gen. Joseph Jarrard is the probably nominee to turn out to be the subsequent vice chief of the Guard Bureau. However his identify hasn’t been despatched to the Senate. Officers spoke on situation of anonymity to debate personnel actions.

The shortage of progress on the nominations has turn out to be a supply of concern to the bureau, which oversees the coaching and oversight of the Guard forces who deploy on federal obligation for abroad fight and to guard the homeland. The Guard chief is a member of the Joint Chiefs of Employees, and serves as a key hyperlink to the adjutant generals who command the state Guard items throughout the nation and its territories.

Nordhaus graduated from the Air Drive Academy in Colorado and served as an F-16 pilot and teacher whereas on lively obligation. He joined the Ohio Nationwide Guard in 1998 and commanded the one hundred and eightieth Fighter Wing there. He flew fight missions within the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and has greater than 3,000 flight hours.