New Vice Chief: Slife Nominated for USAF’s No. 2 Job

President Joe Biden has nominated Lt. Gen. James C. Slife for promotion to normal and appointment as Vice Chief of Employees of the Air Power, the service’s No. 2 job, the Pentagon introduced Sept. 6.

At a Protection Information convention earlier within the day, Slife, who presently serves as deputy chief of employees for operations, was requested to touch upon experiences he would obtain the nomination to succeed Gen. David W. Allvin as Vice Chief.

“I’ve received full-time work the place I’m proper now,” Slife mentioned. “So I assume I’ll give that some extra thought as soon as we get additional down the method.”

Allvin was nominated July 26 to grow to be Chief of Employees, set to succeed Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr., who’s nominated to be the subsequent chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Employees. In flip, Maj. Gen. Adrian L. Spain has been tapped to pin on a 3rd star and succeed Slife as deputy chief of employees of operations, the DOD introduced.

Slife’s three earlier assignments earlier than his present job had been all in particular operations:

• Commander of Air Power Particular Operations Command
• Vice commander of U.S. Particular Operations Command
• Chief of Employees at Headquarters, U.S. Particular Operations Command

He has had 14 different assignments in particular operations, having been a UH-1 and MH-53J Pave Low helicopter pilot, and he has commanded particular ops models on the squadron, group and wing ranges.

If confirmed, Slife would be the first AFSOC commander to grow to be Vice Chief or Chief of Employees for the reason that main command was based in 1990. Between him and Allvin, the Air Power would don’t have any fighter or bomber pilot in both of its prime two jobs, an exceedingly uncommon incidence.

The 2 would take over the Air Power at a key transition second—Air Power Secretary Frank Kendall has known as for a sweeping evaluate of the service’s readiness for potential battle with China, leaders have pushed to retire previous plane and put money into new platforms, and the department has more and more centered its operations across the Agile Fight Employment idea, during which groups of Airmen disperse to function from distant or austere places.

Slife’s different Air Power assignments embody a tour with Air Power legislative liaison as an intern, a Secretary of Protection Company Fellow, and a stint because the director of the Air Power’s Rising Capabilities Division from 2007-2009. He obtained a bachelor’s diploma in aerospace engineering from Auburn College, Ala.; a grasp’s diploma in aerospace science from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical Univ., Fla., and a grasp’s in administration science from George Washington College, D.C.

Along with Slife and Spain, the Pentagon introduced 4 different Air Power normal officer nominations Sept. 6:

• Maj. Gen. Sean M. Farrell, to grow to be a lieutenant normal and deputy commander of U.S. Particular Operations Command
• Col. Matthew S. Allen, to grow to be a one-star and keep in his present job as director of legislative affairs for SOCOM
• Col. Trent C. Davis, to grow to be a one-star and keep in his present job as command chaplain for Air Fight Command
• Col. Lawrence T. Sullivan, to grow to be a one-star and keep in his present job because the principal army assistant to the secretary of protection

DOD additionally introduced Biden has nominated House Power Maj. Gen. David N. Miller Jr. to pin on a 3rd star and grow to be the subsequent head of House Operations Command. Miller is presently particular assistant to the vice chief of house operations, however earlier than that, he was director of operations for U.S. House Command.

If confirmed, Miller would succeed Lt. Gen. Stephen N. Whiting, SpOC’s first ever commander, who has been nominated to guide U.S. House Command.

All these nominations, nevertheless, face an unsure timeline. Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.) has had a legislative maintain on all normal and flag officer nominations since March 8, stopping the Senate from approving them suddenly by voice vote. Tuberville positioned his maintain to protest a Pentagon coverage to offer paid depart and journey funds for troops requiring reproductive providers, together with abortions, who’re based mostly in states the place these providers usually are not out there.

A whole bunch of nominees have piled up over the past a number of months. The Senate might maintain roll-call votes on particular person nominees, however the Democrats within the majority have declined to take action, saying it will take months of flooring time to vote on all of them and would encourage additional blockades by different lawmakers sad over coverage issues.