Lawmakers in Arkansas and Georgia say the Air Force should reimburse those subcontractors that are out thousands of dollars because of the housing privatization debacle involving Carabetta and its subsidiaries and affecting bases in Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, and Massachusetts. Sen. Saxby Chambliss (R-Ga.) said of the project at Moody AFB, Ga., the Air Force should have been “more proactive before it got to this point.” At Moody, he said, a project begun in 2004 has eaten millions of dollars and produced only two of 400 new homes. In Arkansas, Sen. Mark Pryor (D) said, “The Air Force chose a rogue contractor that left behind rows of cement floors, unfinished housing, and unpaid bills.” He declared, “It’s time for the Air Force to step up.” An editorial in The Valdosta Times earlier this month was even more pointed, asserting the Air Force has shown “callous disregard” for the community around Moody, subcontractors, and the base.
Air Force Gen. Jacqueline D. Van Ovost—a trailblazer and one of the first 10 women to reach a four-star rank across the U.S. military—retired and passed control of U.S. Transportation Command to Air Force Gen. Randall Reed on Oct. 4, finishing an eventful tenure at TRANSCOM.