If Confirmed, Lt. General Lori J. Robinson Would Also Be First Non-Pilot In The Position

President Obama has nominated Air Force Lt. General Lori J. Robinson (pictured) for promotion to four stars and to command the Pacific Air Forces, a major combatant command with broad security responsibility for the Asia-Pacific region. The Washington Times reports that Lt. Gen. Robinson would be the first woman to hold that post, as well as the first non-pilot.

According to her Air Force bio, Robinson is currently Vice Commander, Air Combat Command, Langley Air Force Base, Va. She assists the Commander in organizing, training, equipping and maintaining combat-ready forces for rapid deployment and employment while ensuring strategic air defense forces are ready to meet the challenges of peacetime air sovereignty and wartime defense. ACC operates more than 1,300 aircraft, 22 wings, 14 bases, and more than 500 organizations operating at more than 50 locations worldwide with 83,838 active-duty and civilian personnel.

General Robinson entered the Air Force in 1982 through the ROTC program at the University of New Hampshire. She has served in a variety of positions as an air battle manager, including instructor and Commander of the Command and Control Operations Division at the Air Force Fighter Weapons School, as well as Chief of Tactics in the 965th Airborne Warning and Control Squadron. She has commanded an operations group, a training wing, an air control wing and has deployed as Vice Commander of the 405th Air Expeditionary Wing, leading more than 2,000 Airmen flying B-1 Lancer, KC-135 Stratotanker and E-3 Sentry in operations Enduring and Iraqi Freedom. General Robinson was an Air Force Fellow at The Brookings Institution in Washington, D.C., and served at the Pentagon as Director of the Secretary of the Air Force and Chief of Staff of the Air Force Executive Action Group.

She has also been Deputy Director for Force Application and Support, Directorate of Force Structure, Resources and Assessment, Joint Staff, the Pentagon, Washington, D.C. Following this General Robinson was Director, Legislative Liaison, Office of the Secretary of the Air Force, the Pentagon, Washington, D.C and prior to assuming her current position General Robinson was the Deputy Commander, U.S. Air Forces Central Command; Deputy, Combined Force Air Component Commander, U.S. Central Command, Southwest Asia.

(USAF Image)

FMI: Air Force Bio