Army Gen. Charles Jacoby, commander of the North American Aerospace Defense Command and head of US Northern Command, outlined his top four priorities to the Senate Armed Services Community on Tuesday. They are: expand and strengthen trusted partnerships; gain and maintain all-domain situational awareness; advocate and develop capabilities to outpace threats; and take care of people. “Our commands’ missions are not only complementary, they are also inseparable, as the missions of aerospace warning and control, maritime warning, homeland defense, and civil support are more aligned than ever,” stated Jacoby. “To ensure that NORTHCOM and NORAD are strong and ready, we balance the day-to-day missions and operational concerns of the two commands with planning and preparing for an uncertain future.” (Jacoby’s written testimony)
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.