In another Thursday night vote, the Senate approved the nomination of James Clapper to be director of national intelligence, overseeing the nation’s 16 major intel organizations. Clapper, a retired Air Force lieutenant general with years of experience in the intelligence realm, succeeds Dennis Blair, who resigned from the position in May. Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) earlier this week had temporarily blocked Clapper’s vote, pending receipt of a classified intelligence report that was subsequently provided. Clapper previously served as under secretary of defense for intelligence. (For more, see Politico report and Associated Press report.)
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.