F-35 Production Rate Can Rise, Pending Progress

The F-35 program is clear to plan an increase in the strike fighter’s production rate, assuming further progress in some technical areas, determined Pentagon acquisition executive Frank Kendall after a recent interim program review. Kendall now “believes the department is...

Lawmakers’ KC-10 Support Extends from Coast-to-Coast

A bipartisan group of nine House members urged Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel “to take off the table” the idea of eliminating the KC-10 tanker fleet as a cost-saving move in Fiscal 2015. “We respect that difficult decisions must be made...

Pilot Error Doomed F-16D

A decision-making error by an instructor pilot after several low-altitude bird strikes led to the crash of an F-16D on June 26 just west of Luke AFB, Ariz., announced Air Education and Training Command. Both the instructor and student pilot...

Senate Approves Senior Pentagon Intel, Acquisition Nominations

The Senate confirmed the nominations of Alan Estevez to be the principal deputy undersecretary of defense for acquisition, technology, and logistics, and Marcel Lettre to be the principal deputy undersecretary of defense for intelligence. Estevez’s approval came on Oct. 30,...

Air Force, Boeing Sign Sustainment Agreement

The Air Force Sustainment Center at Tinker AFB, Okla., and Boeing signed an agreement allowing the two organizations to tackle sustainment tasks more effectively across the service’s logistics enterprise, according to a center release. This is the first center-wide partnership...

Pentagon Abandons Early Bird News Service

The Defense Department has terminated the Early Bird, its daily compilation of published defense-related news and commentary. The nearly 50-years-old news-clipping service ended on Nov. 1. Army Col. Steven Warren, director of defense press operations, stopped the service after a...

McGuire Participates in Electric Vehicle Project

JB McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, N.J., is slated to receive more than 50 plug-in electric vehicles in 2014 as part of the Defense Department’s Vehicle-to-Grid Project, according to a base release. McGuire, joins JB Andrews, Md., and Los Angeles AFB, Calif., as the...

Membership May Have its Privileges

As the United States prepares to join the European-based Air Transport, Air-to-Air Refueling, and Other Exchange of Services, or ATARES, program, some of the 20 current members are reporting cost savings through their participation, reported Government Accountability Office auditors. The...