Defense Secretary Robert Gates told the House Armed Services Committee Feb. 7 that he “has a problem” with elevating the National Guard Bureau chief to a seat on the Joint Chiefs of Staff because of “unity of command issues.” He is, however, “very open to the possibility” of giving the NGB chief a fourth star. The Commission on the National Guard and Reserves expects to make its report to Congress on this issue by March 1.
A new think tank analysis finds a hypothetical blended-wing body tanker could offer twice as much refueling performance as the KC-46A Pegasus and recommends the Air Force buy scores of them, as the service prepares to evaluate a BWB demonstrator next year and must juggle its future tanker plans with…