The Air Force does plan to hold a reduction in force board in June to identify approximately 600 officers in select year groups—1995, 1996, 2000, and 2001—to involuntary separate from the service by Jan. 29, 2008. Service officials said in January that a RIF was possible if USAF didn’t get enough volunteers. As of March 1, about 2,210 officers had opted to leave the service and take voluntary separation pay—an option that now remains open until March 31.
The Air Force on March 12 awarded contract modifications worth a combined $2.4 billion to Boeing to procure an undisclosed number of E-7 Wedgetail as part of the program's engineering and manufacturing development phase and continue work on the airborne battle management aircraft’s radar.