Lawmakers queried Robert Gates, now Defense Secretary designate, about his view of the National Security Personnel System, now in partial implementation due to ongoing litigation. In his set of advance policy questions, Gates replied: “Reforming civil service rules to make our civilian workforce more adaptable, flexible, and agile is critical to the future of the department.” He continued, saying NSPS is necessary to develop “the right mix of people and skills” and that he planned to review NSPS “to see if any further changes are required.”
The Air Force has finished resurrecting a B-1B Lancer, completing a yearslong process to transform a bomber that had been stored for parts in the Arizona desert into the new flagship of the 7th Bomb Wing at Dyess Air Force Base, Texas.