Chief of Staff Gen. Michael Moseley and Secretary Michael Wynne addressed the KC-X tanker replacement program issue in testimony before the Senate Appropriations defense subcommittee Wednesday, agreeing with Sen. Richard Shelby (R-Ala.) that it should serve as more than a refueler. “You would always want the airplane to be capable of aeromedical evacuation; you would always want the airplane to be capable in other mission areas,” Moseley said. (The Government Accountability Office recently criticized USAF for failing to do an exhaustive analysis to prove the worth of a hybrid tanker.) USAF included hauling capability—cargo and people—in its nine key performance parameters in the KC-X request for proposal. “We’re looking for the proposals to come back—I think—in mid-summer,” said Wynne, adding, “and we’re looking for the contract to be awarded by year’s end.”
"Most, if not all," NATO countries will soon achieve their longtime goal of spending 2 percent of their GDPs on defense, but that may not be enough, Secretary-General Mark Rutte said at the NATO ministerial in Brussels. He also said members will be assigned responsibilities that match their capabilities at…