Future Materiel Command leader gets fourth star

The U.S. Senate voted Thursday to promote the next commander of the Air Force Materiel Command, Lt. Gen. Ellen M. Pawlikowski, to a fourth star.

Pawlikowski will become commander in early June when Gen. Janet Wolfenbarger retires, according to AFMC spokesman Ron Fry. The command is headquartered at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base.

Wolfenbarger, a 1976 Beavercreek High School graduate, was the first woman to become a four-star general in the Air Force. She has led AFMC since June 2012.

Pawlikowski currently is the military deputy to the assistant secretary of the Air Force for acquisition at the Pentagon, a job Wolfenbarger also once held.

AFMC oversees the development and procurement of most Air Force aircraft and equipment. The command, which is headquarters for nine bases in the United States, has a workforce of about 80,000 people, including 13,400 at Wright-Patterson, and manages a budget of $60 billion.

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