Air University held the first cyberspace operations executive course April 23-24 at the LeMay Center for Doctrine Development and Education at Maxwell AFB, Ala. Chief of Staff Gen. Norton Schwartz approved the course so that senior leaders would better understand the cyberspace domain and the technologies, policies, and potential threats associated with it. “While air, land, and sea are natural domains, cyberspace is a man-made domain, one that the military must operate in and through,” said Lt. Col. Ira Collier, LeMay Center flag officer division chief who designed the course. Retired Air Force Gen. Mike Hayden, former director of the NSA and CIA, was the senior mentor for the mainly three- and four-star generals and civilian equivalents in attendance. Lt. Gen. Allen Peck, AU commander and class attendee, said Hayden was “the glue” that held the course together. “It was largely due to his keen insights, analyses, hard-hitting anecdotes, and high-level perspective that this course proved to be a tremendously productive use of time for all involved,” Peck said. (Maxwell report by Capt. Jennifer Lovett)
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.