Air Force Secretary Michael Donley said the Total Force will continue to remain a priority even as the service moves into a contentious budget environment. Today, 58 percent of combat forces are on active duty, but 42 percent are Air Force reservists. The majority of mobility airmen—51 percent—are reservists, while 49 percent are active duty, said Donley at AFA’s Air & Space Conference at National Harbor near D.C., Monday. “I am proud of the way the Total Force is working together,” said Donley, who added that USAF needs to continue to improve the relationships between the active duty Air Force and its Air Reserve Components. “It’s all about balance,” he said.
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.