The Air Force last month honored the history office of the 3rd Wing at Elmendorf AFB, Alaska, as winner of the John R. Burton Award, the biennial honor that recognizes the best multiperson history office across the service. “It means a lot to get recognition like this,” said Doug Beckstead, one of the office historians. The 3rd Wing historians track and write annual histories not only for the wing, but also 11th Air Force, Alaskan NORAD Region, Alaskan Command, and Joint Task Force-Alaska. One of these reports is the “equivalent to writing a Ph.D. dissertation every year,” said Joe Orr of the office. (Elmendorf June 11 report by A1C Christopher Gross)
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.