A team of technicians with the Oklahoma City Air Logistics Center at Tinker AFB, Okla., succeeded in determining (good news) what caused the F100 engine fan blade shop to lose nearly $16 million (bad news) over an 18-month period and also managed to devise a method to “significantly reduce costs” (good news) in the future, according to a Jan. 26 Tinker release. Team leader Michelle Waggoner, an industrial engineering technician, attributed much of the problem to supply management and parts integrity, which she said are “a critical area of our business.” She noted, “Simple mistakes in procedure can cost the government and ultimately the taxpayers millions of dollars.” According to Brian deFonteny, with the Black Belt Center Transformation Office, the fan blade shop’s previous method for ordering and receiving parts was “very confusing,” and because of that the “over and under ordering of required fan blades for each F100 engine was inevitable.” The F100 engine powers the Air Force’s F-15 fleet and most of its F-16s. (Tinker report by Brandice Armstrong)
2026 NDAA: 5 Highlights for Airmen and Guardians
Dec. 18, 2025
President Donald Trump signed the 2026 National Defense Authorization Act on Dec. 18, a day after Congress passed the annual defense policy bill for the 65th consecutive year. Here’s what it means for the Air Force and Space Force.
