The Air Force will consolidate two air and space operation centers in the continental United States and two in Europe beginning as early as this year as part of its efficiency initiatives, Air Force Secretary Michael Donley said Wednesday during an Air Force Association-sponsored Air Force Breakfast Series talk in Arlington, Va. The 601st AOC at Tyndall AFB, Fla., that supports NORAD and US Northern Command and the 612th AOC at Davis-Monthan AFB, Ariz., that supports US Southern Command will be combined into one, he said. The service will also merge the two AOCs at Ramstein AB, Germany, charged with supporting US European Command (603rd AOC) and US Africa Command (617th AOC) into one ops center, he said. The consolidations are expected to save the service about 550 manpower authorizations, said Donley. Of these centers, the 617th is the newest, having stood up in May 2009.
The Chinese spy balloon may have popped, but funding to protect against similar threats is inflating, according to the Department of Defense. The high-attitude surveillance balloon that traversed the U.S. in late January and early February prompted last-minute additions to the Pentagon's budget of around $90 million for measures to…