The Air Force has confirmed to the Daily Report that Gen. Duncan McNabb, the Air Force vice chief of staff, will serve as Acting Chief of Staff when Gen. Michael Moseley steps down. McNabb will bridge the gap between Moseley and the presumptive new CSAF, Gen. Norton Schwartz. Defense Secretary Robert Gates recommended Schwartz for the service’s top uniformed position, but the White House has yet to send the nomination to the Senate. Michael Donley is now Acting Secretary of the Air Force; the White House hasn’t yet put his name before the Senate Armed Services Committee either. McNabb has been recommended to take Schwartz’s spot at US Transportation Command, once the dust settles.
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.