Lt. Gen. Gary North was to assume command Wednesday of Pacific Air Forces at Hickam Air Force Base, Hawaii. Before the ceremony, he was to be promoted to the rank of general, according to a news release.

North succeeds Gen. Howie Chandler, who took command in November 2007. Chandler is heading to the Pentagon to be the vice chief of staff of the Air Force.

North commanded the 9th Air Force and U.S. Air Forces Central, at Shaw Air Force Base, S.C. There, he ran air campaigns in Iraq and Afghanistan, the release said.

USS Essex returns from Australian deploymentThe USS Essex returned to port at Sasebo Naval Base, Japan, on Tuesday after spending most of the summer Down Under.

Essex wrapped up duties last month in the Talisman Saber ’09 exercise, where the ship transported the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit and participated in war games with the Australian military.

The USS Denver, which is also forward-deployed to Sasebo, was scheduled to return from Talisman Saber on Monday but was instead diverted to Taiwan to supply aid after Typhoon Morakot, which killed hundreds and triggered evacuations.