In a speech to the 43rd Munich Conference on Security Policy Sunday, Defense Secretary Robert Gates responded to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s recent criticism of US foreign policy, saying “We all face many common problems and challenges that must be addressed in partnership with other countries, including Russia.” Gates acknowledged that he and Putin share a Cold War intel background and said he had accepted an invitation from Putin and Russian Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov to visit Russia.
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…