Air Force officials on Wednesday announced plans to transfer munitions squadrons responsible for nuclear mission support from Air Force Materiel Command to Air Force Global Strike Command in the next 12 months. The units were placed under AFMC at the outset of the service’s efforts to reinvigorate its nuclear enterprise. AFMC and its leaders “have done an outstanding job restoring excellence in munitions operations,” said Chief of Staff Gen. Norton Schwartz. But with AFGSC now a mature organization, it is “capable of integrating the munitions function into the larger nuclear mission,” he explained. The squadrons will re-align in place; disruptions to operations and personnel will be minimal. Affected units are the: 798th Munitions Maintenance Group at Minot AFB, N.D.; 498th MUMG at Whiteman AFB, Mo.; 15th Munitions Squadron at F.E. Warren AFB, Wyo.; 16th MUNS at Malmstrom AFB, Mont.; 17th MUNS at Minot AFB; 19th MUNS at Whiteman AFB; 498th Nuclear Systems Wing at Kirtland AFB, N.M.; and 798th MUMG, Det. 1, at Vandenberg AFB, Calif. (SAF/PA report by Vicki Stein)
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.