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.
Amid a high-profile recruiting crisis, Air Force leaders and experts have increasingly noted the challenging long-term trends the service will face in enticing young Americans to sign up—decreasing eligibility to serve, less propensity to do so, and less familiarity with the military. But while those same leaders say there’s no “silver…