Chief of Staff Gen. Norton Schwartz has issued his 2011 professional reading list. “Effectively operating within our increasingly dynamic, interconnected, and complex world requires steadfast commitment to personal and professional growth,” said Schwartz in a letter to airmen. As a result, he suggests 14 books this year for airmen that he divides into three categories: leadership, strategic context, and military heritage. Schwartz said he will highlight books from the list throughout the year; for the first quarter of 2011, he recommends these three: Three Cups of Tea: One Man’s Mission to Promote Peace . . . One School at a Time, by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin; Technology Horizons: A Vision for the Air Force Science and Technology, by Werner Dahm, former USAF chief scientist; and The All Americans, by Lars Anderson. (SAF/PA release) (CSAF reading list webpage) (Here’s Schwartz’s 2010 reading list)
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…