Naval Air Forces received a brand new commanding officer Thursday during a ceremony aboard Naval Air Station North Island, California, albeit a pacesetter serving in an acting capability.
Rear Adm. George Wikoff relieved Vice Adm. Kenneth Whitesell because the commander of Navy aviation, but is simply serving because the acting “Air Boss” because his promotion to vice admiral and nomination to be the subsequent commander of U.S. fifth Fleet is held up together with tons of of other military confirmations within the U.S. Senate.
Rear Adm. Daniel Cheever was nominated to be the subsequent Naval Air Forces commander and to get his third star in March, but his confirmation can also be being held up by Sen. Tommy Tuberville’s blockade on military confirmations.
Whitesell took command of the community in October 2020 and oversaw the initial deployment of a carrier air wing that featured the F-35C Lightning II jet, the CMV-22B Osprey and the MQ-8C Fire Scout drone, in accordance with the Navy.
“It has been my honor to serve amongst the boys and ladies who give Naval Aviation its status of excellence, professionalism and quality,” Whitesell said at Thursday’s ceremony, in accordance with a Navy release. “Our community’s legacy, and the legacy of our greater Navy, continues with you. I’m happy with all that we’ve done, and much more happy with what’s to return.”
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Whitesell is ready to retire after 39 years in uniform.
Wikoff involves the job after serving as vice director of the Joint Staff, a job he began in May 2021.
“To my Navy teammates, Vice Adm. Whitesell’s priority stays your order moving forward,” Wikoff said in the course of the ceremony. “Naval Aviation will proceed to sharpen our deal with capabilities, capability, readiness and training to sustain our warfighting advantage against our increasingly advanced adversaries. I’ll relentlessly deal with supporting you to fulfill this imperative.”
Tuberville has held up expedited approval of military commanders, typically a noncontroversial procedural move for the Senate, for six months over his objections to the Defense Department’s abortion access policies that went into effect in the autumn of 2022.
Under those rules, troops stationed in states where abortion services are limited or outlawed can receive unpaid leave and travel stipends to maneuver across state lines for abortion counseling or procedures.
Tuberville has labeled the policy an illegal circumvention of state and federal laws, while defense officials have called it a readiness and fairness issue.
Senate Democratic leaders could approve the nominations individually through normal chamber parliamentary procedures, but lawmakers have said doing so would take months of floor work.
Geoff is a senior staff reporter for Military Times, specializing in the Navy. He covered Iraq and Afghanistan extensively and was most recently a reporter on the Chicago Tribune. He welcomes any and all types of suggestions at geoffz@militarytimes.com.