George Sarris, a senior civilian aircraft mechanic at Offutt AFB, Neb., believes there are continuing maintenance issues that represent safety-of-flight concerns for the RC-135 aircraft flown out of the base, reports the Kansas City Star. Sarris and several other mechanics who work on the specialized reconnaissance aircraft took their concerns to the newspaper when they felt stymied by the Air Force. However, officials at the base told the newspaper that problems with Offutt’s elderly RC-135 aircraft identified by civilian and military mechanics have and are being fixed. And, they point to Offutt’s long-standing record for zero maintenance errors. Sarris maintains that he has suffered reprisals as he began pushing his complaints higher and higher up the command chain, prompting Sen. Charles Grassley to ask for an inspector general investigation.
President-elect Donald Trump has said he will nominate Pete Hegseth, a Fox News personality, as Secretary of Defense for Trump's second term. The choice rounds out most of the national security selections for the new administration.