The Air Force expects to name a provisional location for its new Global Strike Command, as well as the interim leadership, by the end of the calendar year, Secretary Michael Donley said Wednesday during a speech in Washington, D.C. (see above). The new command, which USAF’s leadership announced last month, will bring the service’s ICBM force and nuclear-capable bombers under one roof. It is one of myriad actions taken by the service to reinvigorate its nuclear mission and improve its stewardship of nuclear weapons. Donley also announced that the Air Force is establishing a new senior civilian position within the Office of the Undersecretary of the Air Force. This official will have “broad responsibility for policy oversight in nuclear matters,” he said. Having focused civilian oversight in the Secretariat will ensure a strong partnership with the service’s new A10 office on the Air Staff, “enabling a comprehensive focus on enterprise management,” Donley said.
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.