Trump picks Air Force general for Pentagon’s No. 2 spot
President Donald Trump is nominating the Air Force general in charge of U.S. Strategic Command to be vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
Gen. John Hyten now serves as commander of the U.S. nuclear forces and has the lead military role for space operations. His nomination was announced Tuesday by Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson.
If confirmed by the Senate, Hyten would succeed the retiring Air Force Gen. Paul Selva.
The vice chairman is the second-ranking military officer behind the chairman but does not command troops
Trump said last December that he was nominating Army Gen. Mark Milley to succeed Marine Gen. Joseph Dunford as chairman of the Joint Chiefs. Dunford’s term ends Oct. 1. AP
Turkey to look for alternatives if U.S. doesn’t deliver F-35s
Turkey’s foreign minister says his country could look “elsewhere” if the U.S. doesn’t deliver F-35 fighter jets.
Mevlut Cavusoglu also said in an interview with private NTV television April 9 that Turkey could consider acquiring more Russian-made S-400s or other systems to meet urgent needs if it can’t purchase U.S. Patriot systems.
Turkey’s moves to buy the Russian S-400 technology have heightened tensions with Washington. U.S. Vice President Mike Pence warned that Turkey was risking its NATO membership and its participation in the F-35 program.
Cavusoglu said: “If F-35s are not delivered, I would be placed in a position to buy the planes I need elsewhere.”
He added that a new U.S. offer to sell Patriots was “more rational” than a previous offer, but still didn’t meet Turkey’s expectations. AP
Boeing shareholder alleges investors were misled on Max jet
A Boeing shareholder is suing the company for allegedly hiding problems with its 737 Max jet to push its shares higher.
Shareholder Richard Seeks argues that Boeing should have told investors about safety problems with its best-selling plane after a fatal crash in October. Instead, it pushed the stock up to artificial highs by speaking optimistically about future sales before a second fatal crash in March sent shares tumbling, he says.
The federal suit, which also names Boeing CEO Dennis Muilenburg and the chief financial officer, Gregory Smith, as defendants, seeks class action status for Boeing shareholders who bought stock between Jan. 8 and March 21.
Boeing did not immediately respond to a request for comment. AP