Ayotte Lifts Hold on James Nomination

Sen. Kelly Ayotte (R-N.H.) has released her hold on the nomination of Deborah James to be the next Air Force Secretary and said she supports James’ nomination, according to Ayotte’s spokeswoman Liz Johnson. The decision to lift the hold—which Ayotte...

Partial Shutdown Cost DOD More Than Half Billion Dollars

The just-ended partial shutdown of the federal government cost the Defense Department at least $600 million, said Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel and Pentagon Comptroller Robert Hale on Thursday. “At a minimum,” there was $600 million in lost productivity due to...

Spinning Back Up

The Air Force is restarting activities put on hold by the federal government’s partial shutdown now that it has funding flowing into its coffers once again. All Air Force civilian employees are off furlough and service officials are working to...

Retired Maj. Gen. Hugh Boyd Manson Dies

Retired Maj. Gen. Hugh Boyd Manson, former Air Force Flight Test Center commander, died on Oct. 4 in Los Gatos, Calif. Manson, 98, died in his sleep after a brief illness, according to the San Jose Mercury News’ Oct. 16...

Mauritanian Airmen Visit McGuire

Members of Mauritania’s air force, known by its French acronym FAIM, recently visited JB McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, N.J., for a week’s worth of partnership-building exchanges with airmen of the 621st Contingency Response Wing. They shared practices involving maintenance, security, communications, fuels, and...

US, Italy Come Together on Space Situational Awareness

p, .ExternalClass Italy earlier this month joined the group of nations including Australia, Canada, and Japan that has entered into an agreement with the United States for the sharing of space situational awareness data. During a ceremony at US Strategic...

Pentagon Announces Proposed Saudi, UAE Munitions Sales

The Defense Department notified Congress of possible foreign military sales of precision-guided munitions to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates valued at up to $6.8 billion and $4 billion, respectively. Both notifications went to Congress on Oct. 11, announced...

Sweden Joins NATO Response Force

Sweden has become the fourth partner nation after Finland, Georgia, and Ukraine to join NATO’s Response Force, announced the alliance. The North Atlantic Council approved the Nordic nation’s contribution on Oct. 14, clearing the way for its staff officers to...

Retired Air Force One Settles at Castle Air Museum

The Castle Air Museum in Atwater, Calif., east of San Jose, welcomed its newest addition, a retired Air Force One airplane that once flew Presidents Reagan and Clinton and other dignitaries over its decades of service. The Douglas VC-9 touched...