A veteran fighter pilot who has flown more than 70 combat missions has been nominated to lead all U.S. Air Force units in the increasingly complex Pacific region, where he will have to contend with increased Chinese belligerence in hotly-contested areas like the South China Sea.
If confirmed by the Senate, Lt. Gen. Kenneth S. Wilsbach will receive his fourth star as commander of Pacific Air Forces, based at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. He will succeed Gen. C.Q. Brown, Jr., who has been named the next Air Force Chief of Staff.
As commander, Lt. Gen. Wilsbach will lead about 46,000 airmen, primarily assigned to Air Force units in Japan and Korea, along with those in Guam, Hawaii, and Alaska. He would be the air component commander for U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, currently led by Adm. Phil Davidson, officials said.
Lt. Gen. Wilsbach is a command pilot with more than 5,000 hours in the air, primarily in the F-15 Eagle, the F-22 Raptor and F-16 Fighting Falcon, along with other aircraft. He currently serves as commander of the 7th Air Force and deputy commander of U.S. Forces in Korea.
He is a graduate of the University of Florida and has commanded a fighter squadron, two wings group, an operations ground along with serving in several positions in his Air force career.
• Mike Glenn can be reached at mglenn@washingtontimes.com.
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