Despite believing the Air Force should abandon executive agency for higher flying unmanned aerial vehicles, the service’s top leader still thinks USAF is best equipped to be the lead for space. In a Dec. 22 interview, Gen. Norton Schwartz, Chief of Staff, said he doesn’t see any reason why USAF should give up on the idea of being the DOD executive agent for space. Air Force Secretary Michael Donley agrees, having earlier said he would like to see USAF’s space executive role restored. The Air Force has the vast majority of space experience among the services and the most people, by far, working in the field. The Air Force gained the space executive agent role as a result of the 2001 Rumsfeld space commission, but, in March 2005, the Office of the Secretary of Defense took the authority away. Pentagon acquisition czar John Young has come out firmly against the idea of returning this oversight to the Air Force.
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.