Air Combat Command and Air Force Global Strike Command officials led a one-day summit Sept. 30 at Langley AFB, Va., to discuss the transfer of the service’s three nuclear-capable bomber wings from ACC to Global Strike Command next February. This was the first of three such meeting; the second will take place in November, and the third in December. “Our goal is to make sure that we have a very smooth and safe handoff,” said Col. Jim Dunn, director of ACC’s strategic deterrence and nuclear integration office. Manning was a topic of the conversation. Dunn said since “there is not an overwhelming number of people with nuclear experience” across the Air Force, identifying the best-suited personnel to move into the right jobs at Global Strike Command “has probably been” and “will continue to be” the biggest challenge. (Langley report by TSgt. Mike Slater)
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.