The Defense 
Department has achieved excellent results during the first two months of the new fiscal year in attracting new recruits, with only the Air National Guard tracking somewhat short of its goal. Data through November announced last week show that USAF’s active duty force has met its fiscal year-to-date goal of bringing in 4,785 accessions. The Air Force Reserve has signed on 1,524 new recruits so far, 10 more than its year-to-date goal. Meanwhile, the Air Guard came in 155 recruits short through November, filling 1,048 of 1,203 accession slots, or 87 percent of its goal. In October, the ANG actually was on the plus side of accessions by 188. The Army, Marine Corps, and Navy, as well as their reserve components met or exceeded their Fiscal 2011 recruiting goals through November.
The Air Force and Boeing agreed to a nearly $2.4 billion contract for a new lot of KC-46 aerial tankers on Nov. 21. The deal, announced by the Pentagon, is for 15 new aircraft in Lot 11 at a cost of $2.389 billion—some $159 million per tail.