Data collected from the 2013 Air Force Community Assessment Survey will help service officials make decisions on installation-level program planning and resource allocation to help enhance the quality of life, readiness, and retention of Air Force personnel, states an Air Force release. “We need to make sure our programs are meeting the needs of airmen and their families,” said CMSAF James Cody in the April 8 release. “This survey is one way we can learn how well we’re doing that,” he added. The survey launched in March and is available through May 30, states the release. For the first time, the survey spans the Total Force, with the Air Force randomly selecting the following groups to participate: approximately 160,000 Active Duty airmen and 160,000 Active Duty spouses; 40,000 Air National Guardsmen and 10,000 ANG spouses; 40,000 Air Force Reservists and 10,000 Reservist spouses; and all appropriated-fund civilians. Survey topics include personal and family adjustment, individual and family adaptation, community well-being, deployment, resiliency, post-traumatic stress, and help-seeking stigma. The survey reportedly takes 30 minutes to 45 minutes to complete.
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.