For Fiscal 2010, the Air Force’s approved Total Force end strength is 686,944 personnel, Daniel Ginsberg, assistant secretary of the Air Force for manpower and reserve affairs, told the Senate Armed Services Committee’s personnel panel March 10. This includes 331,700 active duty airmen, 106,700 Air National Guardsmen, 69,500 Air Force Reservists, and 179,044 civilian employees. For Fiscal 2011, the Air Force seeks Congress’ blessing to expand that number to 702,669, said Ginsberg. Under this plan, the active duty component would increase by 500 airmen, the Air Guard would remains the same size, there would be 1,700 additional Air Force Reservists, and the civilian sector would swell by 13, 525 persons. (Ginsberg prepared remarks)
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.