The Pentagon has returned control of 10 of the 21 major acquisition programs that it had removed from USAF authority last year. Oddly, it was the new Air Force Secretary Michael Wynne, in his previous role as head of DOD acquisition, who revoked—temporarily—the Air Force’s milestone decision authority. The reason given at the time was leadership transition within the Air Force, whose Secretary, Undersecretary, and top acquisition official had resigned. Pentagon officials did not say why all 21 programs were not returned to USAF authority. Here is a list of the programs still under DOD purview.
More than 100 B-21s will be needed if the nation is to avoid creating a high demand/low capacity capability, panelists said on a Hudson Institute webinar. The B-21's flexibility, stealth, range and payload will be in high demand for a wide range of missions, both traditional and new.