Secretary of the Air Force Barbara M. Barrett publicly praised Airmen, Guardians, and senior Air and Space Forces leaders during a ceremony at Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling, Jan. 14., News stories from the United States Air Force Academy.
Secretary of the Air Force Barbara M. Barrett publicly praised Airmen, Guardians, and senior Air and Space Forces leaders during a ceremony at Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling, Jan. 14.,
Barrett is one of six top Air Force officials to leave prior to the new administration, with a retirement ceremony set for Thursday at Joint-Base Anacostia-Bolling in Washington, D.C., the service said.
Also to depart are Will Roper, assistant secretary for acquisition, technology and logistics; acting Undersecretary Shon Manasco; Comptroller John Roth; General Counsel Thomas Ayres; and John Henderson, assistant secretary of installations, environment, and energy. Their last day will be Jan. 19, a day prior to President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration ceremony.
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The incoming Biden administration has not yet announced who would fill the Air Force s top roles.
By
Theresa Hitchens on January 12, 2021 at 3:08 PM
Will Roper (left), Barbara Barrett (center)
WASHINGTON: The resignations of five top Air Force officials on Jan. 19, including Secretary Barbara Barrett and acquisition czar Will Roper, are nothing more than normal practice for a presidential transition, say myriad DoD and expert sources.
While the optics of their joint goodbye ceremony, slated Jan. 14, are a bit odd especially in light of the turmoil resulting from the Jan. 6 storming of the Capitol by supporters of outgoing President Donald Trump a number of insiders said the reason is simply that, given the COVID-19 pandemic, it was considered safer to hold only one event.
Note: This article has been corrected. The Air Force will soon bid farewell to its 25th service secretary, who also served as the first civilian leader of the newly formed Space Force. Secretary of the Air Force Barbara Barrett is slated to resign effective Jan. 20, a service spokeswoman said. The departure by Barrett, who has served in her role since October 2019, will come the day before President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration. Barrett will be honored at a ceremony Thursday in Washington, along with departing assistant secretaries Shon J. Manasco, John R. Roth, Thomas E. Ayres, William B. Roper Jr. and John W. Henderson.