JB Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii Chief of Staff Gen. Mark Welsh and CMSAF James Cody arrived here on the first stop of their first leadership tour of the Asia-Pacific region. They touched down late on Aug. 18 local time; on Monday’s agenda were visits with Pacific Air Forces leaders and airmen here as well as US Pacific Command leadership. Welsh and Cody will also visit Japan and South Korea, during which they will meet with military counterparts and government officials in those nations. Stops in Alaska are also planned, including meetings with elected and civic leaders. This trip, which is scheduled to run through the end of the month, is Welsh’s and Cody’s first one to the region in their current positions. Welsh said the trip is an opportunity to visit and get face time with some of the more than 43,000 airmen stationed in the region. The Air Force’s presence and unique capabilities are an “invaluable part of [the Pentagon’s] rebalance to the Pacific,” said Welsh. He said he and Cody would be taking a close look at how to prepare and care for airmen as the rebalance proceeds, and to thank them for their dedication to the mission.
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.