Jan. 14, 2020 Raymond sworn in as first Chief of Space Operations at White House event Vice President Mike Pence Jan. 14 swore in Gen. John W. Raymond as the highest-ranking military leader of the newly created U.S. Space Force, adding a prominent White House ceremony that recognized the arrival of the nation’s newest, separate branch of the military.
Oct. 16, 2019 Senate confirms Barrett to be Air Force secretary The 85 to 7 vote makes Barbara Barrett the third consecutive woman confirmed to lead the Air Force and its 685,000 total force Airmen. Barrett replaces Heather Wilson who resigned in May. Undersecretary Matthew Donovan served as acting secretary in the interim.
Sept. 27, 2019 Raymond outlines ambitious U.S. space activities, embraces Space Force as a new, separate military branch “We’re planning for a Space Force. We need a Space Force. Our nation needs a Space Force,” Raymond said in remarks at a Mitchell Institute breakfast on Capitol Hill attended by influential members of Congress and staff as well as defense analysts, industry officials and media.
Sept. 18, 2019 Esper emphasizes need for military to ‘adapt’ to confront new threats, resurgent ‘great power competition’ The blueprint for success, he said, is the National Defense Strategy, a comprehensive document assembled by former Defense Secretary James Mattis that reshapes the military to address new threats from near-peer competitors while also continuing to prosecute the war on terror and ensuring national