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Immediate Release

General Officer Assignments

The chief of staff, Air Force announces the assignment of the following general officers:

Maj. Gen. James. B. Hecker, commander, 19th Air Force, Air Education and Training Command, Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph, Texas, to commander, 9th Air and Space Expeditionary Task Force – Afghanistan; commander, North Atlantic Treaty Organization Air Command – Afghanistan; director, Air Forces Central Command’s Air Component Coordination Element for U.S. Forces – Afghanistan, Air Combat Command and support of North Atlantic Treaty Organization’s Operation Resolute Support; and deputy commander – Air, U.S. Forces-Afghanistan, U.S. Central Command, Kabul, Afghanistan.

Maj. Gen. John M. Hicks, chief of staff, Headquarters U.S. Special Operations Command, MacDill Air Force Base, Florida, to commander, Special Operations Command – Africa, U.S. Special Operations Command, Stuttgart, Germany.

Brig. Gen. Walter J. Lindsley, director, logistics, Deputy Chief of Staff for Logistics, Engineering, and Force Protection, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Pentagon, Washington, District of Columbia, to director, installations, logistics and mission support, Headquarters Air Force Global Strike Command, Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana.

Brig. Gen. Chad T. Manske, deputy commander, Canadian North American Aerospace Defense Region; and deputy combined/joint force air component commander for 1st Canadian Air Division, North American Aerospace Defense Command, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, to commandant, National War College, National Defense University, Fort Leslie J. McNair, Washington, District of Columbia.

Maj. Gen. James C. Slife, deputy chief of staff, United Nations Command and U.S. Forces Korea, Yongsan Army Garrison, Republic of Korea, to chief of staff, Headquarters U.S. Special Operations Command, MacDill Air Force Base, Florida.

Maj. Gen. Jeffrey B. Taliaferro, commander, 9th Air and Space Expeditionary Task Force – Afghanistan; commander, North Atlantic Treaty Organization Air Command – Afghanistan; director, Air Forces Central Command’s Air Component Coordination Element for U.S. Forces – Afghanistan, Air Combat Command and support of North Atlantic Treaty Organization’s Operation Resolute Support; and deputy commander – Air, U.S. Forces-Afghanistan, U.S. Central Command, Kabul, Afghanistan, to director, operations, J-3, Headquarters U.S. Northern Command, Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado.

Brig. Gen. Paul W. Tibbets IV, commander, 509th Bomb Wing, Air Force Global Strike Command, Whiteman Air Force Base, Missouri, to vice commander, Headquarters Air Force Global Strike Command, Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana.