Gen. Michael 
Moseley, new Air Force Chief of Staff, says the current analysis of alternatives for a replacement tanker aircraft offers “options across the board” for this new refueler. They comprise concepts ranging from re-engining old aircraft to new procurement, from big aerial tanks to medium-sized tankers. He has not publicly discussed his view of what the best solution might be. He does say there probably is no one who would disagree that “the key to global mobility, global intelligence-surveillance-reconnaissance, and global strike—on the air breathing side—is the tanker.”
Members of the House Armed Services Committee say the AIM-260 Joint Advanced Tactical Missile program has been set back three months due to the ongoing government shutdown. The comment is noteworthy because the JATM's status has been kept tightly under wraps.
