Gen. Lance W. Lord, who is commander of Air Force Space Command and currently the longest serving Air Force four-star on active duty, plans to retire on April 1, after 37 years of service. AFSPC officials say details for the change of command ceremony are forthcoming, as is the name of his successor. Officials also say that the Space Command NCO force will bestow its order of the sword upon Lord on Feb. 11.
The Air Force awarded a $13.08 billion contract to the Sierra Nevada Corporation on April 26 for its Survivable Airborne Operations Center aircraft, the successor to the service’s E-4B “Doomsday” plane. Like the E-4B, officially called the National Airborne Operations Center, the SAOC will be meant to withstand a nuclear attack and keep…