Lt. General Richard Scobee named Chief of the Air Force Reserve

WARNER, ROBINS (41NBC/WMGT) – The son of a former challenger astronaut is taking on a new role as a three-star general at Robins Air Force Base.

After a nomination from President Donald Trump, Lt. General Richard Scobee was officially named Chief of the Air Force Reserve and Commander of the Air Force Reserve Command on Thursday.

He’ll now work closely with the US Air Force Chief of Staff and be leader to nearly 70,000 airmen around the world.

General Scobee says he’s already got a few goals in mind.

“One is making sure that we keep our strategic depth of what we are in the Air Force Reserve along with readiness, being ready for whatever comes our way is really important. The second thing is building resilient leaders and making sure we have the right leadership in place to lead these great airmen,” he said.

General Scobee has more than 3,800 flying hours in an F-16 Fighting Falcon and 248 combat hours. His father was an air force mechanic and test pilot for NASA. He’s now one of 36 three-star generals in the United States Air Force.