Air Force

Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) lifted his hold Thursday on the White House’s nominee to be the next Air Force chief of staff after the two sat down for a meeting Thursday morning.

Removing the hold allowed Gen. Mark Welsh’s nomination to quickly move through the Senate. He was confirmed to be the next Air Force chief in a batch of nominees passed by unanimous consent Thursday evening.

The Senate Armed Services Committee moved along the promotions of three generals late Wednesday in a host of nomination approvals, including Gen. Mark Welsh to become the next Air Force chief of staff.

The panel also gave the OK to Gen. Frank Grass to become the next National Guard chief, a position that now gives him a seat on the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Lt. Gen. John Kelly as commander of United States Southern Command.

The Pentagon lifted flight restrictions from the Air Force's F-22 Raptor fleet on Monday after receiving assurances from service officials that they have pinpointed the cause of the oxygen deprivation issues that initially grounded the fleet. 

They are growing frustrated with the Air Force's inability to pinpoint why pilots suffer from oxygen deprivation in the aircraft.

Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-Texas) said she thinks Congress should hold hearings on the growing sexual assault scandal at a Texas Air Force base involving basic training instructors and female recruits.

Hutchison made the comments Monday while touring the Warrior Family Support Center at Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston, the San Antonio Express-News reported.

“I think having the hearings is certainly appropriate,” she said, without elaborating when asked if she would call for hearings.

The lawmakers said a “complete separation” of church and state is having a “chilling effect” down the chain of command.

Two of the Air Force's premiere unmanned aerial drones are also the service's top two aircraft that are likely to crash and burn during a given operation. 

Air Force Special Operations Command will not ground its fleet of V-22 Ospreys despite the ongoing investigation into Wednesday's crash that injured five airmen. 

Two lawmakers said Thursday that the oxygen issue that has plagued the F-22 Raptor is more prevalent than the Air Force has previously disclosed publicly.

Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.) and Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.) released data on the F-22’s oxygen problem Thursday showing that the plane has had 10 times more incidents of oxygen-deprivation than any other Air Force aircraft.

The president told cadets the United States was "stronger and safer" with the end of wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.