Some 800 airmen, 91 aircraft, and 31 equipment packages deployed by the Air Force to aid search and rescue operations for Hurricane Rita are getting set to return to their normal duty stations. The pararescue teams flew 57 missions, saving a total of 10 people and assisting in five other “saves.” The SAR force comprised a mix of active and reserve elements. (DR, 0928/05)
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.

