Some news reports may cite Air Force officials as saying the KC-X tanker program decision could be delayed beyond February. However, our man on the scene during a Thursday media session at the Pentagon said the Air Force acquisition officials were pressed into affirming an open “is it possible” question. The Air Force has said it wants to be very deliberate in their efforts here, mindful of the almost inevitable protest from the losing party. The Air Force wants to get on with the program—KC-135s aren’t getting any younger—but Lt. Gen. Donald Hoffman, USAF’s top military acquisition official, said the service would take the time to get the “right answer.”
Congress is making moves to end the longest government shutdown in U.S. history, but lawmakers have only a few days left to clear the procedural hurdles necessary to ensure troops get paid Nov. 14. The issue is particularly pressing for tens of thousands of uniformed personnel in the Air National…
