The Air Force is leading the Defense Department in acquisition reform, Pentagon acquisition chief Ash Carter said Wednesday. He praised USAF for establishing a program executive officer for the buying of services and said it has reaped huge savings in areas like performance-based logistics. “All the other services are following the Air Force’s lead,” he said. Moreover, USAF’s Acquisition Improvement Program—launched in the wake of the collapsed KC-X and CSAR-X programs—is a model that Carter said “I encourage the other components to emulate.” He also had high praise for David Van Buren, USAF’s acting acquisition executive. Carter said Van Buren was instrumental in helping the Office of the Secretary of Defense department-wide efficiency efforts.
The U.S. thwarted a drone attack on U.S. forces at Al Asad air base in western Iraq on April 22, marking the first time that American troops have been targeted since February, U.S. officials said. “We can confirm it was an attack on Al Asad,” a defense official told Air & Space…