WASHINGTON — The decision by the Pentagon to add US Air Force Lt. Gen. Tod Wolters to the Joint Staff has caused a shuffle down the line at key operations positions for the service.
According to a Tuesday announcement, Wolters is being nominated as director for operations on the Joint Staff, commonly known as the J-3 position. He has been serving as deputy chief of staff for operations at the Air Force — essentially, the same position within the service that he will now take over on the Joint Staff — since December 2014.
His replacement in the Air Force will be Lt. Gen. John Raymond. Raymond has been a leading voice on space issues as commander of the Fourteenth Air Force and the head of STRATCOM's Joint Functional Component Command for Space.
Raymond is now the front-runner to replace Gen. John Hyten as the head of Air Force Space Command when the latter's term is up, likely in about two years.
As part of his duties, Raymond oversaw the expansion of the Joint Space Operations Center, a key part of the Pentagon's space tracking system that includes international partnerships. Raymond has indicated he would like to expand international participation in that program.
Raymond, in turn, will be replaced by Maj. Gen. David Buck, who will pin on a third star. Buck is the vice commander at Space Command.
Email: amehta@defensenews.com
Twitter: @AaronMehta
Aaron Mehta was deputy editor and senior Pentagon correspondent for Defense News, covering policy, strategy and acquisition at the highest levels of the Defense Department and its international partners.
