THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, February 21, 1996 TAG: 9602210399
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A4 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: STAFF REPORT
DATELINE: WASHINGTON LENGTH: Short : 28 lines
Air Force Gen. Richard E. Hawley, currently commander of U.S. Air Forces in Europe, has been tapped to head the service's Air Combat Command, based at Langley Air Force Base in Hampton.
The Pentagon announced Hawley's nomination, which is subject to Senate confirmation, on Tuesday. The 54-year-old native of Albany, N.Y., a fighter pilot and Vietnam War veteran with 435 combat missions to his credit, has been in command of Air Forces in Europe since July.
Hawley will succeed Gen. Joseph Ralston, who is being transferred to the Pentagon next month to become vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the nation's second-highest-ranking military officer.
Hawley's new assignment will be his second at Langley; he commanded the Air Force's 1st Tactical Fighter Wing there from 1979-81.
Air Combat Command is the principal war-fighting branch of the Air Force, with almost 16,000 officers and 96,000 enlisted personnel. by CNB