The Senate confirmed Lt. Gen. David W. Allvin as the next Air Force Vice Chief of Staff on Sept. 30, while also approving his promotion to four-star general. Allvin will replace current VCSAF Gen. Stephen W. “Seve” Wilson, who became the second-highest officer in July 2016 and is the longest-serving vice chief in the service's history, according to the Air Force. Senators also approved Lt. Gen. David D. Thompson's promotion to be the first four-star Vice Chief of Space Operations.

Boeing has delayed the delivery of one KC-46 tanker to the New Hampshire Air National Guard because of an electrical problem on the airplane, though the company says it's a limited issue that will not broadly affect the schedule for the problem-ridden program. This particular KC-46, set to be the eighth for the 157th Air Refueling Wing at Pease Air National Guard Base, is delayed because of the “minor electrical problem on this airplane that was found by our rigorous acceptance testing process,” Boeing said in a statement. The company believes there is a poor electrical connection that needs to be removed and reinstalled.

Low-cost, attritable aircraft will likely reshape the fleet design outlined in “The Air Force We Need” white paper of 2018, panelists said during an Oct. 1 event hosted by the Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies. The technology's rapid advance is causing service force designers to consider mixed or composite squadrons that pair unmanned systems with fighters like the F-35. Rapid experiments and fielding will drive new concepts that will support an “Air Force We Need 2.0,” they said.

The Space Force will stand up its Space Systems Command to oversee software and hardware acquisition “sooner rather than later” in 2021, the service’s second-highest uniformed official said Oct. 1. Lt. Gen. David D. Thompson said during a Defense One event that the new systems management organization is moving slower than the groups that will oversee training and operations because the Space Force is still deciding which Army and Navy assets will join the new service. That will offer a clearer picture of how everything can fit together.

KC-135 Stratotankers from the 100th Air Refueling Wing at RAF Mildenhall, U.K., practiced supporting other aircraft in "Exercise Wolff Pack," a multinational event over Europe that ended Oct. 1. The three-day effort vetted the wing’s ability to deploy its aircraft to multiple places across Europe “in order to protect and defend partners, allies, and U.S. interests at a moment’s notice” and sharpen the agile combat employment (ACE) construct, wing spokesperson Capt. Shelley A. Spreier told Air Force Magazine in a Sept. 30 email. ACE is the Air Force's effort to move troops and planes around the globe quickly and with less reliance on brick-and-mortar installations, to be more responsive and resilient if bases are threatened. Twelve KC-135s also took part in a Sept. 29 "elephant walk."

On March 23, the Air Force Association's Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies will host a virtual Nuclear Deterrence Series event featuring Scowcroft Group Principal Frank Miller. At a time when nuclear modernization programs are accelerating around the world, proposals to recapitalize the U.S. nuclear arsenal are at the forefront of debates over defense spending. Miller will share his insights into the prospects for U.S. nuclear modernization programs and the value of nuclear deterrence in today's competitive security environment. The think tank will post event video on its website and YouTube page after the live event.