The Air Force has awarded Air National Guardsman Col. Eric W. Vollmecke, commander of the 167th Airlift Wing, Martinsburg, W.Va., a Bronze Star for his command of a mix of active and reserve airmen while deployed to Afghanistan last 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.

