President Obama tapped Lt. Gen. Mike Holmes for assignment as the Air Force’s next long-range planner, leading the Air Staff’s A8 office, according to the Defense Department. The Pentagon announced Holmes’ nomination to be deputy chief of staff for strategic plans and programs on May 9. Holmes has been serving since August 2013 as Air Education and Training Command’s vice commander at JBSA-Randolph, Texas. If the Senate approves this nomination, Holmes would replace Lt. Gen. Michael Moeller, who has led the A8 office since October 2012.
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.