About 100 
service members and civilians turned out last month at Cheyenne Mountain AFS, Colo., for the arrival of a steel beam recovered from the World Trade Center. Cheyenne Mountain airmen will incorporate the beam into the base of a memorial to commemorate those who died in the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001. Four University of Colorado students are working with members of the 721st Civil Engineer Division to design the memorial, which they will unveil next year on the 10th anniversary of the attacks. “This memorial will remind all of those who work inside the mountain of the importance of their day-to-day work supporting critical strategic missions which protect our nation, North America, and our way of life,” said Col. Rusty Wilson, 721st Mission Support Group commander. (Cheyenne Mountain report by Monica Mendoza) (See also Peterson Gets 9/11 Memorial)
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.