The White House on June 21 officially designated Michael Donley as the Acting Secretary of the Air Force. Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates has recommended that Donley and Gen. Norton Schwartz be nominated for Secretary and Chief of Staff of the Air Force, but the White House has not yet formally to put their names in nomination on Capitol Hill. Gen. Michael Moseley, outgoing Chief of Staff, has asked that June 27 be his last day, followed by a formal retirement date of Aug. 1.
In the Space Force’s push to increase its consumption of commercial satellite capabilities, satellite communications stands out as the template. The question now is how broadly the Space Force will look to leverage additional SATCOM providers.