A military jury at JBSA-Lackland, Tex., last week convicted the fifth former Air Force basic military training instructor of sexual misconduct in a special court-martial. SSgt. Jason Manko on Sept. 27 received a sentence of 45 days confinement, reduction in rank to airman first class, forfeiture of $500 per month for three months, and hard labor for 30 days, states a Lackland release. Manko pled guilty to having sex with a trainee and having developed an unprofessional, intimate relationship with her. The BMT sex scandal has caused the Pentagon to revamp its sexual assault prevention and response training requirements, including working with Congress to create a “special victims unit” to assist each of the services. The Pentagon announced the new standards on Sept. 25. “If we don’t take steps to deal with [sexual assault]—if we don’t exercise better leadership to confront it—it’ll get worse,” said Defense Secretary Leon Panetta in a Sept. 28 release.
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.