The Air Force Reserve will have a large role over the next few years as USAF addresses two of its top priorities—reinvigorating the nuclear enterprise and recapitalizing the force—says Lt. Gen. Charles Stenner Jr., the service’s top Reserve officer. Air Force Reserve Command has been part of the nuclear mission since day one, Stenner said during a Monday presentation at the Reserve Officers Association mid-winter conference in Washington, D.C. (see above). As the nuclear mission undergoes a revamping, AFRC will take on the B-52 training mission and have some Reservists serve in an associate arrangement with active B-52 units for both the conventional and nuclear combat roles. “Our goals and our sights have expanded in the nuclear enterprise,” he said. Stenner said he also anticipates expansion of the Reserve in areas like operationally responsive space, distributed operations, and cyber warfare. At the same time, he noted that AFRC is about $1 billion short in its military construction coffers to keep up with the current 165-year recapitalization rate for its facilities and installations.
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.