A “go” from the QDR is pursuit of a replacement aerial tanker, although the program may not get a formal launch until 2007. The Air Force is leaning toward a combination tanker/cargo aircraft, not unlike the KC-10, which could swing between the two missions at need. Gen. Norton Schwartz, head of US Transportation Command, says the new airplane would give him maximum “versatility” in responding to a broad range of contingencies. The move, however, seems to be the death knell for the KC-767, which is not considered beefy enough in its lifting capacity to meet the Air Force’s new vision. Boeing is expected to offer a variant of its 777 airliner.
Navy Adm. Samuel J. Paparo Jr. assumed leadership of the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, succeeding Navy Adm. John Aquilino at a change of command ceremony, urging action amid China's “increasing intrusive and expansionist claims,” on May 3