Gen. Norton A. Schwartz, the USAF Chief of Staff, repeated his call for integrating energy efficiency and conservation into all aspects of the Air Force’s mission. “We must embrace the notion that energy efficiency is not a stand-alone priority because it binds together and enables every dimension of our mission,” he said May 28 in the closing address of the Air Force’s two-day energy forum in Washington, D.C. He added, “Energy efficiency affords us greater resiliency, which translates to greater capability and versatility.” Schwartz called on all airmen to recognize the vital link between energy efficiency and the Air Force’s ability to support the joint force. “We must all share a sense of urgency” in achieving greater energy efficiency, given flattening budgets and rising costs, he said. (SAF/PA report by TSgt. Amaani Lyle) (Schwartz speech) (For more, read Energized Leadership and Designated Driver.)
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.