Woman with New Hampshire ties to head Air Force in Pacific

Non - pilot to lead the Air Force

From: http://www.wmur.com/news/woman-with-new-hampshire-ties-to-head-air-force-in-pacific/29178974

HONOLULU —President Barack Obama has selected the first female non-pilot to head the U.S. Air Force in the Pacific.

At a packed ceremony in Hawaii, Lt. Gen. Lori Robinson received the highest rank in the U.S. Air Force -- four-star general.
 
Robinson, a graduate of the University of New Hampshire, will replace a veteran pilot who is moving to another post.

“I realize that there is no other command more important to our nation’s security and defense,” Robinson said.

Robinson is the second woman in the Air Force to earn the four-star general rank and is the first woman to command combat forces in the Air Force.

The general she is replacing, Gen. Hawk Carlisle, said Robinson is more than able to fill the new role.
“She is absolutely capable at everything she does,” Carlisle said. “And as importantly, she is always there for every one of her brothers and sisters in the Air Force.”

Robinson’s father lives in Jackson, New Hampshire. She entered the Air Force in 1982 through the ROTC program at UNH.

Robinson said she hopes her early training in the Granite State will help her protect the world.
“Our international friendships have never been more important than today as we endeavor to safeguard and continue an environment that has fostered prosperity in the region and the world over the past decade,” she said.