For the first time, the Air National Guard is receiving funding for storefront recruiting facilities as part of the National Guard Bureau’s main budget. That will allow all ANG wings to place recruitment centers out in local communities, building stronger relationships with them, according to SMSgt. Greg Renz, the Air Guard’s recruiting operations superintendent. “We can expand our footprint across America and maybe recruit from some communities [where] we haven’t been before,” he explained. He added, “The funding will pay for the leases and the expenses associated with having a storefront.” The funding change took effect in Fiscal 2011. In the past, the money had to come from leftover ANG recruiting dollars each year or the units had to pony up themselves, said Renz. Each storefront facility will have a specialized look directly related to the wing’s mission. (NGB report by TSgt. John Orrell)
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.