The long-talked-about plan for NATO members to purchase several Boeing C-17s transports and jointly operate them took an important step forward May 9 with the Pentagon’s notification to Congress of the pending foreign military sale of two C-17s to the alliance’s Strategic Airlift Capability consortium. If all options are exercised, the value of this deal, which includes associated equipment and support services, could be as high as $700 million, according to the Defense Security Cooperation Agency’s statement. The 17-nation SAC consortium comprises 15 NATO members and Finland and Sweden. The newly established NATO Airlift Management Organization will purchase, own, and manage the aircraft for the consortium. A multinational heavy airlift wing will operate the aircraft, which will be based at Papa AB, Hungary. This purchase touches upon, but does not satisfy the alliance’s requirement for eight C-17 equivalents to support the NATO Response Force in peacekeeping and stability operations, as well as members’ disaster-relief efforts around the globe. Boeing has been using its own funds to maintain the flow of production for several C-17s for NATO in anticipation of a NATO contract. In the past, the alliance announced its intent to acquire three to four C-17s and begin operating them before the end of the decade.
A provision in the fiscal 2025 defense policy bill will require the Defense Department to include the military occupational specialty of service members who die by suicide in its annual report on suicide deaths, though it remains to be seen how much data the department will actually disclose.