Government and industry employees converged in Dayton, Ohio, this week to discuss the ins and outs of the pending KC-X tanker competition. It was also an opportunity, says Teresa Rendon of the small business office at Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio, for small businesses to find out how they might engage in the tanker replacement program. Officials with the 653rd Aeronautical Systems Squadron at Wright-Patt expect the Air Force to purchase 179 replacement aircraft over a 15-year period—beginning in 2010—at a cost of around $20 billion.
Airmen basic rarely go on to become four-star generals, but one who did retired last week after a 42 year career that saw him rise from a lowly slick-sleeve to the head of one of the Air Force’s most important major commands.