Next week some 200 senior officers will know whether they were tapped by the recent Selective Early Retirement Board. The Air Force plans to release the list on Feb. 15. The SERB that met in January considered 657 officers—214 colonels and 443 lieutenant colonels.
The new defense reconciliation bill includes $7.2 billion for Air Force and Navy aviation accounts, almost half of which will buy more F-15EXs. While electronic warfare, drones, connectivity and airlift all get attention, the F-35 was conspicuously absent from the package, with no explanation given.