The Air Force has paid $160,000 in claims related to a 27,000-acre fire that began on the Melrose Bombing Range last year. The Portales News-Tribune reports that SSgt. Craig Seals, a Cannon Air Force Base spokesman, says the Air Force has received four separate claims so far. The prime complaint is soil erosion. Seals said that the service has not determined the cause of the fire, but it is still under investigation. The deadline for filing complaints is November 2007.
Space Force leaders say that while they’re eager to implement the Pentagon’s newly announced acquisition transformation strategy, civilian personnel cuts and a prolonged government shutdown have depleted the acquisition and contracting workforce, adding to pressures on the cadre that could make it difficult to hit the ground running on reform.
