Gen. Kenneth Wilsbach testifies before the Senate Armed Services Committee about his nomination to be Air Force chief of staff on Thursday, Oct. 9, 2025, in Washington. (Eric Kayne/Stars and Stripes)
WASHINGTON — The Senate Armed Services Committee on Tuesday advanced the nomination of Gen. Kenneth Wilsbach to serve as the next Air Force chief of staff.
The panel approved Wilsbach alongside 3,475 other military promotions, sending the nominees to the full Senate for a vote that could come as soon as this week.
If confirmed, Wilsbach will replace Gen. David Allvin, who in August abruptly announced he would retire in November from the Air Force’s top officer job halfway through his four-year term.
Wilsbach, a pilot who most recently ensured aircraft fighting readiness as head of Air Force Combat Command, had planned to retire before he was called back into service.
“After much reflection and prayer, I said yes because I love this country, and I love the Air Force,” he told the Armed Services Committee during his confirmation hearing earlier this month.
The committee is set to consider other military nominees in the coming weeks.
On Thursday, it will hold a confirmation hearing for Navy Vice Adm. Richard Correll to lead U.S. Strategic Command. Correll is now deputy head of the command, which is responsible for nuclear deterrence and missile defense.
Another nominee, Lt. Gen. Christopher LaNeve, who is currently serving as Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s senior military assistant, is expected to soon face the panel for appointment as the Army’s vice chief of staff.
