The Air Force has reestablished squadron commander support staffs to help commanders manage administrative duties and other functions, announced service personnel officials on Oct. 9. The change took effect on Oct. 1 based on a decision that the Air Force senior leadership made at the Corona South summit in February, they said in a release. The leadership felt that squadron commanders were overburdened by personnel, knowledge operations, and administrative support workloads. “CSSs are the building blocks of strong squadrons,” said Lt. Gen. Darrell Jones, who oversees manpower and personnel issues on the Air Staff. “By rebuilding our CSS, we are helping commanders focus on their top priorities: the mission and the outstanding airmen who accomplish our mission every day,” he added. Jones’ office will have functional oversight of the CSS organization throughout the Air Force and will be responsible for developing guidance, states the release. To jump start the effort, group-level knowledge operations personnel will provide initial support for the squadron CSS. The Air Force plans to add additional billets for the CSS in Fiscal 2014 and is considering other options to cement the change, states the release. (Randolph report by TSgt. Steve Grever)
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.