Lt. Gen. James Jackson, head of Air Force Reserve Command, selected CMSgt. Cameron Kirksey to be AFRC’s next command chief, according to a release from the organization. Kirksey has been serving as command chief of AFRC’s 482nd Fighter Wing at Homestead ARB, Fla., since June 2011. He will replace CMSgt. Kathleen Buckner, who resigned in April for personal reasons, according to press reports. She had held the post since December 2011. “I look forward to being the eyes, ears, and voice of our enlisted ranks to General Jackson, and I want every airman who is a part [of] AFRC to know that I am extremely honored to serve them as their senior enlisted leader,” said Kirksey, in AFRC’s May 23 release. A native of Silas, Ala., he enlisted in the Air Force Reserve in March 1988. His background is in the logistics career field, specializing in fuels management. (Robins report by SSgt. Alexy Saltekoff)
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.