Lt. Gen. Jason Hinds, seen here at a D-Day ceremony in Picauville, France, June 4, 2025, took charge of U.S. Air Forces in Europe-Air Forces Africa on Oct. 31 during a ceremony at Ramstein Air Base, Germany. (Heather Cozad Staley/U.S. Air Force)
RAMSTEIN AIR BASE, Germany — Airmen in Europe and Africa have a new boss, with Lt. Gen. Jason Hinds recently taking command of the mission amid a string of airspace incursions across NATO territory and the U.S. threatening military action in Nigeria.
But unlike a long line of officers who led U.S. Air Forces in Europe-Air Forces Africa, Hinds will remain a three-star because a promotion to general is no longer in the cards for the Air Force’s top job in Europe.
The Air Force downgraded the billet in response to a directive from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to reduce general and flag officer positions, the service said last month.
Hinds made things official Friday in a ceremony at Ramstein, the service’s air operations hub on the Continent. The Senate confirmed his nomination on Thursday, USAFE-AFAFRICA said in a statement.
He also took on the role of heading up NATO Allied Air Command, which, like USAFE-AFAFRICA, maintains its headquarters at Ramstein.
An F-22 pilot, Hinds has been the interim commander since Gen. James Hecker retired this past summer after 36 years of service. He came to USAFE-AFAFRICA in September 2024 as the deputy commander.
President Donald Trump nominated him in September to lead the command, which consists of approximately 35,000 active-duty, reserve, Air National Guard and civilian employees spanning 104 nations and eight wings.
USAFE-AFAFRICA is the air component for U.S. European Command and U.S. Africa Command in Europe, Africa and Asia as well as the Arctic and Atlantic regions.
Hinds will additionally serve as director of the Joint Air Power Competence Center based at Kalkar in northwestern Germany.
The center is sponsored by 14 NATO nations, which provide a variety of subject-matter experts offering independent military advice to the alliance.
The other top U.S. military command positions in Europe remain four-star billets for now. That includes U.S. European Command, led by Air Force Gen. Alexus Grynkewich, who has a dual-hatted role as NATO Supreme Allied Commander Europe.
For the Army, Gen. Chris Donahue leads U.S. Army Europe and Africa and NATO Allied Land Command. Vice Adm. George Wikoff, meanwhile, was confirmed in September for promotion to admiral and is slated to assume command of U.S. Naval Forces Europe-Africa and Allied Joint Force Command Naples.
Hegseth in May ordered the military’s active components to reduce the number of four-star generals and admirals by at least 20% and the National Guard to slash its number of general officers by a minimum of 205.
