Regarding the CSAR-X award protests, the Government Accountability Office told the Daily Report Monday that it expects to receive a report from the Air Force in December and believes the GAO review will run right up to the established due...

There has been no official word on the fate of the pilot of the USAF F-16CG that crashed in Iraq early Monday morning as it was assisting coalition ground forces. According to an Associated Press news service follow-up report, an...

It is possible that the Air Force may tip its hand early on the tanker competition simply by identifying in next month’s final request for proposals just how much cargo it wants the replacement aerial refueler to carry. At least that’s the usually knowledgeable opinion of Loren Thompson of the Lexington Institute. In a new issue brief, Thompson says, “The wild card is the cargo-carrying capacity, because if the request for proposals sets a modest goal, that will tend to favor the [Boeing] 767, and if it sets an ambitious goal that will tend to favor the [Northrop Grumman-EADS] A330.” USAF expects in July 2007 to make a decision on which contractor would provide the first 179 aircraft of a program that could, in the end, run to 500 or so tankers.

The Air Force has decided to find out just how many of its airmen already are conversant in a foreign language—and which ones. The service has created an online survey that is mandatory for all enlisted personnel and for lieutenant...

Gen. Ronald Keys, chief of Air Combat Command, sees a direct correlation between the Air Force plans to cut some 40,000 people and freeing money to recapitalize his force. Speaking with Washington-based defense reporters earlier this month, Keys argued that...

The Air Force plans to hold a public meeting on Dec. 5 to elicit comments about its proposal to create a Common Battlefield Airman Training program at Arnold AFB, Tenn. Arnold and Barksdale AFB, La., and Moody AFB, Ga., are...

Improved management and a new data accounting system have helped Veterans Affairs officials slash month-long wait times for initial doctor visits, according to a statement released by Sen. Larry Craig (R-Idaho), head of the Veterans’ Affairs Committee. A backlog of...

Soon-to-be House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) has announced that House Democrats will convene a forum “to discuss the war in Iraq.” Joining key Democrats at the Dec. 5 event will be Zbigniew Brzezinski, President Carter’s national security advisor; Richard Holbrooke,...

A recent survey of Shia Arabs by World Public Opinion.org finds that more now favor a timetable for withdrawal of coalition forces than did at the start of 2006. A majority appears to favor a one-year withdrawal. If the US-led...

Air National Guard SSgt. Chris Pieper with the 119th Fighter Wing in Fargo, N.D., and a Fargo firefighter has won a partial improvement to the city of Fargo’s military leave policy, reports the Associated Press news service. Pieper had filed...

Rockwell Collins has received an Air Force award for $82.7 million to provide 37,787 defense advanced GPS receivers and accessories. Rockwell must provide the DAGRs, which are to replace Precision Lightweight GPS Receivers, by October 2008.

The Air Force Research Lab has given $12.5 million to General Electric to provide a near-term solution making aircraft immune to electromagnetic environmental effects. GE must demonstrate that aircraft flight control, electric actuation, and power management and distribution subsystems are...

The Air Force flying units in Southwest Asia draw daily on the expertise of a cadre of USAF mechanical engineers who can design on-the-spot structural repairs for the SWA-engaged aircraft, reports Air Force journalist TSgt. Stephen Staedler. Currently USAF’s depot liaison engineers in Southwest Asia are 1st Lt. Jake Depapasse, 1st Lt. Jeffrey Newcamp, and 2nd Lt. Mark Eilertsen. Their expertise enables them to “go a little bit above and beyond” what is covered in aircraft technical orders, says Newcamp. They work hand in glove with sheet metal airmen, producing replacement parts for airframes long out of production, whose increased flying hours in harsh conditions are producing unique problems.

Nov. 26, 2006 Sortie Type OIF OEF OIF/OEF Total ISR 15 6 21 CAS/Armed Recon 32 52 84 Airlift 130 130 Air refueling 34 34 Total 47 58 164 269 OIF=Operation Iraqi Freedom OEF=Operation Enduring Freedom ISR=Intelligence-surveillance-reconnaissance