The enlisted force of US Air Forces in Europe inducted Gen. Tom Hobbins into the Order of the Sword on Nov. 18. SMSgt. Kelly Mazezka reports that CMSgt. Gary Coleman, USAF command chief, said Hobbins “has been a devoted advocate of the enlisted force in his command,” including spurring creation of the “first of its kind Enlisted Heritage Room honoring the blood, sweat, and tears of the enlisted airmen spanning this command’s great history.” Hobbins remarked, “We’ve been and continue to be airmen of substance. … Just knowing I could count on the excellence of [my airmen’s] work meant more to me than anything.”
A new report from the Government Accountability Office calls for the Pentagon’s Chief Technology Officer to have budget certification authority over the military services’ research and development accounts—a move the services say would add a burdensome and unnecessary layer of bureaucracy.

