Among new members of the Defense Policy Board is retired Gen. Larry Welch, Air Force Chief of Staff from 1986 to 1990. Defense Secretary Robert Gates on Friday announced Welch and 10 other new members: Stephen Biddle, senior fellow for defense policy on the Council on Foreign Relations; Richard Danzig, former secretary of the Navy; Robert Gallucci, former assistant secretary of state; Chuck Hagel, former Senator from Nebraska; Robert Kaplan, senior fellow with Center for a New American Security; Andrew Krepinevich, president for Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments; Rudy deLeon, former deputy secretary of defense; John Nagl, president for Center for a New American Security; Sarah Sewall, international affairs teacher at Harvard Kennedy School of Government; Wendy Sherman, former special advisor to President Clinton and policy coordinator on North Korea. Returning members are: John Hamre, chairman; Harold Brown; retired Adm. Vern Clark; J.D. Crouch; Fred Ikle; retired Army Gen. Jack Keane; Henry Kissinger; Dave McCurdy; Frank Miller; William Perry; James Schlesinger; Marin Strmecki; Vin Weber; retired Marine Corps Gen. Pete Pace.
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.