With Hold Lifted, What Happens Next for New Air Force, Space Force Generals? (2024)

The Senate confirmed senior militarynominations for 105 Air Force and Space Force officers late Dec. 5, a massive bloc that built up over months during the standoff between Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.) and the Pentagon over its reproductive health policies, which provide funds to service members to travel out of state to seek services, including abortions.

Some of the officers had been awaiting confirmation since January, others only joined the queue in November. And a select few are still waiting—Tuberville is keeping his hold on four-star nominees, preventing their quick confirmation and Sen. Eric Schmitt (R-Mo.) announced he has placed holds of his own on six nominees, including three Air Force one- and two-star nominees, over concerns “regarding those nominees’ stances or actions relating to divisive diversity, equity, and inclusion programs in the military,” according to his office.

Schmitt placed holds on:

• Brig. Gen. Scott A. Cain to be Major General
• Brig. Gen. Paul D. Moga to be Major General
• Col. Benjamin R. Jonsson to be Brigadier General

Col. David J. Berkland, nominated to be Brigadier General, was also not confirmed in the Dec. 5 bloc for unknown reasons. The four-star nominees still awaiting confirmation include:

• Lt. Gen. James C. “Jim” Slife to be Vice Chief of Staff of the Air Force
• Lt. Gen. Michael A. Guetlein to be Vice Chief of Space Operations
• Lt. Gen. Gregory M. Guillot to lead U.S. Northern Command and NORAD
• Lt. Gen. Timothy D. Haugh to lead U.S. Cyber Command
• Lt. Gen. Stephen N. Whiting to lead U.S. Space Command
• Lt. Gen. Kevin B. Schneider to be commander of Pacific Air Forces
• Gen. Kenneth S. Wilsbach, the current leader of PACAF and a four-star general, to be head of Air Combat Command

An Air Force spokesperson told Air & Space Forces Magazine that the individuals awaiting confirmation “will remain in their current position and their successors will do the same until the position they were nominated for becomes vacant.”

As a result, there is a domino effect at several important commands. Guillot cannot leave his post as deputy commander of U.S. Central Command until he is confirmed to lead U.S. Northern Command, so his replacement, Navy Vice Adm. Charles B. Cooper II, cannot take over at CENTCOM. Similarly, Lt. Gen. Haugh’s replacement for deputy commander of U.S. Cyber Command, new Army Lt. Gen. William J. Hartman, can’t move up until Haugh takes over CYBERCOM.

The effect is even more pronounced inside the service. As long as Wilsbach can’t move over to Air Combat Command, he remains at PACAF, blocking Lt. Gen. Kevin B. Schneider. Schneider, Director of Staff at Headquarters Air Force, is blocking Lt. Gen. Scott L. Pleus. Pleus remains as deputy commander of U.S. Forces Korea and commanders of the 7th Air Force, blocking newly promoted Lt. Gen. David R. Iverson.

Iverson is blocking newly promoted Maj. Gen. Brandon D. Parker from taking on his job as director of air and cyberspace operations at PACAF, and Parker is blocking Col. David J. Berkland as PACAF chief of staff. Ironically, Berkland is one of the officers whose promotion was held.

Elsewhere, Slife is due to be replaced as deputy chief for operations by Maj. Gen. Adrian L. Spain, who is director of training and readiness under the Air Force deputy chief of staff for operations. His replacement was not immediately clear.

In the Space Force, Guetlein is blocking Lt. Gen. Philip A. Garrant from becoming head of Space Systems Command, and Garrant is blocking Lt. Gen. Shawn Bratton as deputy chief of space operations, strategy, plans, programs, and requirements.

In the cases of Moga, Jonsson, and Cain, there are no second-order effects in terms of jobs blocked.

For those general officers who can move up, an Air Force spokesperson said that transition timelines are being coordinated to determine effective dates of promotion and report dates to their new position. These actions will take some time to deconflict, the spokesperson said.

Even so, many of the nominees who were on the CY22 Maj. Gen Line of the Air Force list, the CY22 Maj. Gen Health Professions list, and the CY21 Brig. Gen Line of the Air Force list will pin on their new rank immediately with an effective promotion date of Dec. 5.

Here’s who has been confirmed by the Senate:

Air Force

• Lt. Gen. Scott L. Pleus to belieutenant generaland Director of Staff
• Lt. Gen. Donna D. Shipton to be lieutenant general and commander of the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center
• Lt. Gen. Jeffrey A. Kruse to be lieutenant general and director of the Defense Intelligence Agency
• Maj. Gen. Andrew J. Gebara to belieutenant generaland deputy chief of staff for strategic deterrence and nuclear integration
• Maj. Gen. David A. Harris Jr. to be lieutenant general and deputy chief of staff for strategy, integration and requirements
• Maj. Gen. Adrian L. Spain to belieutenant generaland deputy chief of staff for operations
• Maj. Gen. Sean M. Farrell to be lieutenant general and deputy commander of SOCOM
• Maj. Gen. Laura L. Lenderman to be lieutenant general and deputy commander of PACAF
• Maj. Gen. David R. Iverson to be lieutenant general and commander of the 7th Air Force
• Maj. Gen. Michael J. Lutton to be lieutenant general and deputy commander of AFGSC
• Maj. Gen. Linda S. Hurry to lieutenant general and deputy commander of AFMC
• Maj. Gen. Heath A. Collins to be lieutenant general and director of the Missile Defense Agency
• Maj. Gen. Michael G. Koscheski to be lieutenant general and deputy commander of ACC
• Brig. Gen. Dale R. White to be lieutenant general and military deputy to the assistant secretary of the Air Force for acquisition technology, and logistics
• Brig. Gen. Thomas P. Shermanto be major general
• Brig. Gen. Thomas W. Harrell to be Major General
• Brig. Gen. Jeannine M. Ryder to be Major General
• Brig. Gen. Curtis R. Bass to be Major General
• Brig. Gen. Kenyon K. Bell to be Major General
• Brig. Gen. Charles D. Bolton to be Major General
• Brig. Gen. Larry R. Broadwell Jr. to be Major General
• Brig. Gen. Sean M. Choquette to be Major General
• Brig. Gen. Roy W. Collins to be Major General
• Brig. Gen. John R. Edwards to be Major General
• Brig. Gen. Jason T. Hinds to be Major General
• Brig. Gen. Justin R. Hoffman to be Major General
• Brig. Gen. Stacy J. Huser to be Major General
• Brig. Gen. Matteo G. Martemucci to be Major General
• Brig. Gen. David A. Mineau to be Major General
• Brig. Gen. Ty W. Neuman to be Major General
• Brig. Gen. Christopher J. Niemi to be Major General
• Brig. Gen. Brandon D. Parker to be Major General
• Brig. Gen. Michael T. Rawls to be Major General
• Brig. Gen. Patrick S. Ryder to be Major General
• Brig. Gen. David G. Shoemaker to be Major General
• Brig. Gen. Rebecca J. Sonkiss to be Major General
• Brig. Gen. Claude K. Tudor Jr. to be Major General
• Col. Matthew S. Allen to be brigadier general
• Col. Trent C. Davis to be brigadier general
• Col. Lawrence T. Sullivan to be brigadier general
• Col. Amy S. Bumgarner to be Brigadier General
• Col. Ivory D. Carter to be Brigadier General
• Col. Raja J. Chari to be Brigadier General
• Col. Jason E. Corrothers to be Brigadier General
• Col. John B. Creel to be Brigadier General
• Col. Nicholas B. Evans to be Brigadier General
• Col. Bridget V. Gigliotti to be Brigadier General
• Col. Christopher B. Hammond, to be Brigadier General
• Col. Leslie F. Hauck III to be Brigadier General
• Col. Kurt C. Helphinstine to be Brigadier General
• Col. Abraham L. Jackson to be Brigadier General
• Col. Joy M. Kaczor to be Brigadier General
• Col. Christopher J. Leonard, to be Brigadier General
• Col. Christopher E. Menuey to be Brigadier General
• Col. David S. Miller to be Brigadier General
• Col. Jeffrey A. Philips to be Brigadier General
• Col. Erik N. Quigley to be Brigadier General
• Col. Michael S. Rowe to be Brigadier General
• Col. Derek M. Salmi to be Brigadier General
• Col. Kayle M. Stevens to be Brigadier General
• Col. Jose E. Sumangil to be Brigadier General
• Col. Terence G. Taylor to be Brigadier General
• Col. Jason D. Voorheis to be Brigadier General
• Col. Michael O. Walters to be Brigadier General
• Col. Adrienne L. Williams to be Brigadier General
• Col. Leigh A. Swanson to be Brigadier General
• Col. Corey A. Simmons to be Brigadier General
• Col. Brian R. Moore to be Brigadier General

Space Force

• Lt. Gen. Philip A. Garrant to be lieutenant general and commander of SSC
• Maj. Gen. Douglas A. Schiess to be lieutenant general and commander of the Combined Force Space Component Command
• Maj. Gen. David N. Miller Jr. to be lieutenant general and commander of SpOC
• Maj. Gen. Shawn N. Bratton to be lieutenant general and deputy chief of space operations for plans, programs, and requirements
• Brig. Gen. Troy L. Endicott to be major general
• Brig. Gen. Timothy A. Sejba to be major general
• Brig. Gen. David J. Cothern to be major general

Air National Guard

• Brig. Gen. Steven J. Butow to be major general
• Col. Patti L. Fries to be brigadier general
• Col. Tommy F. Tillman Jr. to be brigadier general

Air Force Reserve

• Brig. Gen. Elizabeth E. Arledge to be Major General
• Brig. Gen. Robert M. Blake to be Major General
• Brig. Gen. Vanessa J. Dornhoefer to be Major General
• Brig. Gen. Christopher A. Freeman to be Major General
• Brig. Gen. David P. Garfield, to be Major General
• Brig. Gen. Mitchell A. Hanson to be Major General
• Brig. Gen. Jody A. Merritt to be Major General
• Brig. Gen. Adrian K. White to be Major General
• Brig. Gen. William W. Whittenberger Jr. to be Major General
• Brig. Gen. Christopher F. Yancy to be Major General
• Brig. Gen. Derin S. Durham to be Major General
• Brig. Gen. Michael J. Regan Jr. to be Major General
• Col. Harold W. Linnean III to be brigadier general
• Col. Sean M. Carpenter to be Brigadier General
• Col. Mary K. Haddad, to be Brigadier General
• Col. James L. Hartle to be Brigadier General
• Col. Aaron J. Heick to be Brigadier General
• Col. Joseph D. Janik to be Brigadier General
• Col. Michael T. McGinley to be Brigadier General
• Col. Kevin J. Merrill to be Brigadier General
• Col. Tara E. Nolan to be Brigadier General
• Col. Roderick C. Owens to be Brigadier General
• Col. Mark D. Richey to be Brigadier General
• Col. Norman B. Shaw Jr. to be Brigadier General
• Col. Kristin A. Hillery to be Brigadier General
• Col. Michelle L. Wagner to be Brigadier General
• Col. David M. Castaneda to be Brigadier General