President Obama will award Army SSgt. Ty M. Carter of Antioch, Calif., the Medal of Honor for his conspicuous gallantry during combat operations in Afghanistan, announced the White House. The President will present Carter with the MOH at the White House on Aug. 26; Carter will become the fifth living MOH recipient for actions in Iraq or Afghanistan, according to the White House’s July 26 release. Carter was a cavalry scout with the 4th Infantry Division’s 4th Brigade Combat Team serving at Combat Outpost Keating in Nuristan Province on Oct. 3, 2009, when a force of more than 400 insurgents attempted to overrun the outpost. During the intense six-hour-plus battle, Carter resupplied ammunition to fighting positions, provided first aid to a battle colleague, killed enemy troops, and “valiantly risked his own life to save a fellow soldier,” states the Army’s narrative of his action. Of the 54 Keating defenders that day, eight were killed and more than 25 were injured, according to the Army. In February, Obama awarded the MOH to former Army SSgt. Clinton L. Romesha, another soldier who defended the outpost that day. (Army’s webpage on Carter) (See also Saving Outpost Keating from Air Force Magazine’s 2010 archives.)
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.