An investigation completed by the Defense Department’s inspector general has cleared Marine Corps Gen. John Allen, commander of US and NATO forces in Afghanistan, of allegations that he engaged in improper behavior, announced Pentagon Press Secretary George Little on Tuesday. In a statement on Jan. 22, Little said Defense Secretary Leon Panetta “was pleased to learn that allegations of professional misconduct were not substantiated” by the IG’s investigation. “The Secretary has complete confidence in the continued leadership of General Allen, who is serving with distinction in Afghanistan,” added Little. In November, Panetta asked the IG to investigate Allen after allegations surfaced that Allen may have engaged in an inappropriate e-mail exchange with one of the women linked to the sex scandal that brought down David Petraeus as CIA director. At the time, Panetta asked Congress to place a hold on Allen’s nomination to become commander of US European Command and NATO’s Supreme Allied Commander Europe.
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.