In a joint letter to airmen Sept. 16, Acting Air Force Secretary Michael Donley and Chief of Staff Gen. Norton Schwartz commented on the service’s new mission statement, which still includes cyberspace as a mission domain, saying they plan to convene top leaders “several times over the coming months” to “quickly come to closure on near-term issues,” among them the fate of the proposed new Cyber Command. The letter also outlined their five “broad priorities” for the Air Force: reinvigorate the Air Force nuclear enterprise; partner with the Joint and Coalition team to win today’s fight; develop and care for airmen and their families; modernize our aging air and space inventories; and acquisition excellence.
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.