Thirteenth Air Force’s air and space operations center, the 613th AOC at Hickam AFB, Hawaii, was the nerve center for airpower during Talisman Saber 2009, a two-week command post and field-training exercise between US and Australian forces that concluded July 25. “The AOC is a very important cog in the wheel of Talisman Saber 2009,” said Australian Wing Cmdr. Jason Lind, deputy chief of the combat operations division in the 613th AOC during the exercise. He added, “I believe the goal of maintaining interoperability between US and Australian forces was met in the AOC. We worked very well together due to our similar systems, tactics, techniques and procedures, and our cultural backgrounds.” Talisman Saber, a biannual event,.included more than 10,000 Australian land and naval forces and 20,000 US Air Force, Army, Navy, and Marine Corps personnel who participated at locations in both Australia and the United States. The focus of the exercise was on crisis-action planning and execution of contingency response operations. (Hickam report by TSgt. Kerry Jackson)
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.