President Donald Trump’s nominee to be the next Secretary of the Air Force will appear before the Senate Armed Services Committee for a confirmation hearing “very soon”—possibly by the end of the month—according to a committee spokesperson. Heather Wilson, a former Republican congresswoman from New Mexico, was tapped by Trump to be the Air Force’s top civilian soon after his inauguration in January. Wilson is a 1982 Air Force Academy graduate and a former Rhodes scholar who has worked with the National Security Council on matters related to European defense. She served on the Energy, Armed Services, and Intelligence committees as a lawmaker. In 2013, a consulting firm headed by Wilson ran afoul of the Department of Energy for failing to complete work on a $450,00 contract. An inspector general report found that the Department “did not receive evidence that work performed under the agreements had been completed,” even though Wilson’s company had already been paid even. Wilson denied wrongdoing in the case, though her company repaid more than $440,000 to the Department.
Sticker Shock Drags Out USAF’s E-7 Negotiations with Boeing
April 18, 2024
While a deal on the E-7 Wedgetail airborne battle management jet may come soon, negotiations are stuck on the high price Boeing is asking for the development jets, Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall said recently.