The Air Force announced Feb. 9 that the remains of Maj. Kenneth Bourland, 37, of Birmingham, Ala., were found Feb. 7 at the Hotel Montana in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, where he had traveled on official business for US Southern Command on Jan. 12, the day the magnitude 7.0 earthquake struck, collapsing the hotel among other widespread damage. The brief announcement noted Bourland in June 2009 had been selected for promotion to lieutenant colonel, and USAF was processing a posthumous promotion. (Also read Birmingham News report; CBS42 TV report)
The Pentagon announced new long-term agreements with four defense companies May 13 to develop and produce large numbers of low-cost cruise missiles. And while the effort will focus mostly on the Army to start, it pairs with Air Force efforts to find more affordable munitions.