Gen. William Shelton on Wednesday accepted command of Air Force Space Command at Peterson AFB, Colo. Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Norton Schwartz presided over the change-of-command ceremony, before which Shelton received his fourth star. Shelton succeeds Gen. Robert Kehler, who led AFSPC since October 2007 and has received Senate confirmation for his new assignment leading US Strategic Command at Offutt AFB, Neb. “I’ve been in and out of Air Force Space Command since 1986, so to have the good fortune to come back to command this great organization is truly a special privilege,” said Shelton upon assuming his new post. His most recent job was as USAF’s assistant vice chief of staff from July 2009. Among his space assignments, Shelton led 14th Air Force (Air Forces Strategic) at Vandenberg AFB, Calif., from May 2005 to December 2008. (Peterson release and second Peterson release) (Shelton’s updated biography)
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.