Air 
Force officials unveiled the official portrait painting of retired Gen. Norton Schwartz, 19th Chief of Staff, on Tuesday during a ceremony at the Pentagon. The portrait features Schwartz standing with the Air Force Memorial in Arlington, Va., shown in the background. The painting will be on display in the Pentagon’s Arnold Corridor alongside the portraits of the other former Air Force Chiefs of Staff. “As I painted the portrait itself, my main goal was to convey something of the spirit of General Schwartz,” said artist Michele Rushwort during the Jan. 8 unveiling. Schwartz retired from the Air Force last year after 39 years of service. He spent his last four years in uniform as Chief of Staff. “Our nation must never take for granted the selfless service, dedication, and sacrifice of public servants and military leaders like Norty Schwartz,” said Air Force Secretary Michael Donley at the ceremony. Schwartz said the portrait “will be a lasting symbol that in America, and in America’s armed forces, remarkable things are still possible no matter who you were, or where you came from.” (Washington, D.C., report by SSgt. David Salanitri)
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.