ACC commander to retire this fall

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  • Air Combat Command Public Affairs
LANGLEY AIR FORCE BASE, Va. (AFPN) --  Air Force officials announced June 20 that the commander of Air Combat Command will retire from the Air Force this fall.

The president has nominated Air Force Vice Chief of Staff Gen. John D. W. Corley to the Senate to succeed Gen. Ronald E. Keys as the ACC commander.

General Keys assumed command of the Air Force's largest major command in May 2005. During his tenure, he's championed the need for the Air Force to balance its resources between fighting today's wars, looking forward to and preparing for tomorrow's threats, and developing future technologies to more effectively and efficiently accomplish the Air Force mission.

As the person ultimately responsible for providing combat airpower to America's warfighting commands, the general has tackled issues that include evaluating the need for a next-generation bomber, the first overseas deployment of the F-22 Raptor -- the world's only fifth-generation fighter aircraft -- the evolving role of unmanned aerial vehicles, and alerting the American public to the decaying state of the Air Force's legacy aircraft.

"After serving in the world's finest Air Force for 40 years, Valerie and I have decided to move onto the next chapter of our lives," General Keys said. "I leave knowing the next generation of warriors and leaders are dedicated to seeing that we remain the greatest air, space and cyberspace force in the world. My retirement won't happen until this fall, so until then I will remain focused on the business at hand -- commanding Air Combat Command and ensuring we're fully engaged in today's fight while preparing for tomorrow's threats as we recapitalize and modernize our force." 

(Courtesy Air Combat Command News Service)

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