Michael W. Wynne on Thursday was sworn in as Secretary of the Air Force. The event took place before a gathering of cadets at the US Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs. The Senate on Oct. 28 confirmed Wynne, who was serving as the Pentagon’s No. 2 official for acquisition. With Wynne now confirmed, Acting Air Force Secretary Pete Geren presumably will return to his former duties in the Office of the Secretary of Defense. The Air Force had been functioning without a confirmed civilian leader since the departure in January of James Roche. Like Roche, Wynne had been saddled with problems hanging over from the failed Boeing 767 tanker lease deal, but that now seems to be in the past.
The Air Force has tapped sites in Oregon to build its first two new Over-the-Horizon Radars, capable of detecting inbound missile threats from up to 4,000 nautical miles away. The service is hoping to start construction by the end of 2028.