As part of the latest presidential drawdown package for Ukraine — this one worth $700 million dollars — the Defense Department has included four M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems, or HIMARS.
Lt. Gen. Eric T. Fick relinquished duties as the Program Executive Officer (PEO) of the F-35 Lightning II Joint Program Office (JPO) to Lt. Gen. Michael J. Schmidt during a change of leadership ceremony July 5 at Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling in Washington, D.C. Under Secretary of Defense for Acquistion and Sustainment Dr. William A. LaPlante presided over the ceremony that welcomed over 100 service members and civilians in attendance.
Fick was the PEO for three years, and prior to that time, he served as the Deputy PEO for two years. During his remarks, he expressed gratitude to JPO personnel for their commitment to the program, the aircraft, and the warfighter. He said that the people of the JPO are the underpinning supporting element that makes it all better when faced with challenges.
Fick also took time to praise the JPO, as well as the program’s international partners and foreign military sales customers, for having grown the F-35 program significantly during his leadership tenure. The JPO has delivered over 800 aircraft to 25 installations and eight ships around the globe.
Schmidt, who virtually joined the ceremony, spoke about how he looks forward to working with the F-35 JPO team and continuing to provide sophisticated fifth generation capabilities to the warfighter.
Following the change of leadership ceremony and a reception, Fick concluded his nearly 32-year active-duty career with an afternoon retirement ceremony held at the same location. DVIDS - News - F-35 Joint Program Office Holds Change of Leadership Ceremony (dvidshub.net).
Before that transfer happens, Kahl said, the U.S. will provide training on the system to both Ukrainian users and maintainers.
To view the Change of Leadership ceremony, visit https://youtu.be/n5FRgUH-f98
To view the Retirement Ceremony, visit https://youtu.be/e8CRoKmoRQI
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