Retired Col. James Swindal, who was the pilot for Air Force One that flew the body of President John Fitzgerald Kennedy from Dallas to Washington, died last week at age 88 from complications arising from a broken hip. According to the Washington Post, Swindal flew during World War II and the Berlin Airlift and, in 1960, began flying President-elect Kennedy.
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.
