The Senate has approved the nomination of Lt. Gen. Mike Hostage for promotion to the rank of general for his new assignment as head of Air Combat Command at Langley AFB, Va. Hostage has overseen the air campaigns in Afghanistan and Iraq since August 2009 as commander of Air Forces Central. He will replace Gen. William Fraser, who’s led ACC since September 2009. The Senate also has confirmed the nomination of Maj. Gen. David Goldfein to receive a third star as he heads to his new assignment replacing Hostage in Southwest Asia at AFCENT’s helm. Goldfein has been ACC’s director of operations since August 2009.
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.