The Air Force recruiting folks in Arlington, Tex., are now crowing about a July 4 mass swear-in ceremony before a “sellout” crowd at a Texas Rangers and Los Angeles Dodgers baseball game. A July 16 release notes that 55,000 fans observed the pre-game event, which not only brought 120 Delayed Entry Program recruits into the Air Force, but also a B-52 bomber flyover and honor guard performance. The 2nd Bomb Wing at Barksdale AFB, La., supplied the bomber and Air Force Reserve Command’s 301st Fighter Wing at NAS JRB Fort Worth, Tex., supplied the honor guard.
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.
