Rice nominated to become next Air National Guard director Published April 11, 2016 By DOD News sources WASHINGTON (AFNS) -- Defense Secretary Ash Carter announced April 5 that President Barack Obama has nominated Maj. Gen. L. Scott Rice for appointment to the rank of lieutenant general and for assignment as director of the Air National Guard. Rice was commissioned in 1980 through the ROTC at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York. Following graduate school, he attended pilot training at Reese Air Force Base, Texas, receiving the pilot badge in 1982 and later serving in England where he flew the F-111 Aardvark. Rice joined the Massachusetts Air National Guard's 104th Fighter Wing in 1989 to fly the A-10 Thunderbolt II. He then served as squadron commander, operations group commander, wing commander and Air National Guard commander. He mobilized numerous times since 1995, including deployments to Bosnia, Kosovo, Kuwait and Iraq. He also served as the commander of Air Force forces for exercise Eastern Falcon in the U.S. Central Command area of operations, where he supervised F-16 Fighting Falcon units deployed to Kuwait in 2004, to Jordan and Oman in 2005, and to Pakistan in 2006. Rice is currently serving as the adjutant general of the Massachusetts National Guard at Hanscom AFB, Massachusetts. He also serves on the Massachusetts Military Asset and Security Strategy Task Force as well as secretary of the Adjutants General Association of the U.S.