The Verm
ont Air National Guard’s 158th Fighter Wing has picked up the air defense alert mission for the northeast, replacing the Massachusetts ANG’s 102nd Fighter Wing earlier than expected because of the grounding of the F-15 fleet, reports the Burlington Free Press. The F-16s of the Vermont Air Guard were to maintain the alert mission during the relocation of F-15s from the 102nd FW at Cape Cod to the 104th FW in western Massachusetts. The 104th FW is transitioning from A-10s to F-15s so would not be able to handle the alert mission for at least a year.
The emphasis on speed in the Pentagon’s newly unveiled slate of acquisition reforms may come with increased near-term cost increases, analysts say. But according to U.S. defense officials, the new weapons-buying construct provides the military with enough flexibility to prevent runaway budget overruns in major programs.
