Reserve personnel across the five branches of the US armed forces cooperate more closely and are better suited to defend the United States than ever before, said Lt. Gen. Charles Stenner, Air Force Reserve chief. “When I think about where we are right now as a bunch of services, we are more in sync than we have ever been,” stated Stenner during a panel discussion Monday at the Reserve Officers Association’s national security symposium in Washington D.C. He added, “The focus is not on what’s good for each service, it’s on what’s good for the nation.” As for Air Force Reserve, Stenner said its organization and “core functions” are changing “based on the needs of this nation.” He continued, “I don’t believe we’re debating anymore whether we’re strategic or operational. It’s just how you couch it. We’re going to be both.”
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.