The Air Force has selected 2,518 captains for promotion to major, in the latest promotion boards for line, chaplain, nurse corps, and biomedical science corps officers. For line officers, the in-the-zone promotion rate was 93.3 percent, slightly better than the last board’s 92.4 percent. On the other hand, the above-the-zone selection rate was lower at only 8.9 percent compared to 11.2 percent last year.
The new defense reconciliation bill includes $7.2 billion for Air Force and Navy aviation accounts, almost half of which will buy more F-15EXs. While electronic warfare, drones, connectivity and airlift all get attention, the F-35 was conspicuously absent from the package, with no explanation given.