The Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve already provide a huge percentage of the nation’s organic airlift capability, and those percentages are likely to go higher, said Air Mobility Command boss Gen. Darren McDew on Tuesday. In his address at AFA’s Air & Space Conference in National Harbor, Md., McDew said 71 percent of the Air Force’s C-130s transports and 60 percent of its KC-135 tankers are in the Guard and Reserve, “and we may even increase those ratios, going forward.” He said the Guard and Reserve deliver airlift at the same readiness rates as the Active Duty force, and “I don’t lose any sleep” over whether the capability will be there when called upon.
The Pentagon’s Joint Interagency Task Force 401 took a step toward making an Amazon-like online marketplace for counter-drone tech a reality this week with its first acquisition under the Replicator 2 effort.
