Press reports in January that retired Air Force Maj. Gen. Scott Gration would be tapped to become the new NASA administrator have turned out to be … false. But Gration will be a part of the new Administration since President Obama appointed him last week to be the USA special enjoy to Sudan, a country still stricken by internal turmoil, especially in the Darfur region. “General Gration’s personal and professional background, and his service to the country as both a military leader and a humanitarian, give him the insights and experience necessary for this assignment,” Obama said in the White House statement announcing the appointment. Obama said Gration is a valued personal friend. The two travelled to Chad together in 2006 when Obama was a US Senator. With Gration’s appointment, the question remains open as to who the White House will nominated as the next NASA administrator.
An important U.S. Air Force E-3 Sentry AWACS command and control plane was among the aircraft damaged in a March 27 Iranian missile and drone attack on Prince Sultan Air Base, Saudi Arabia, people familiar with the matter told Air & Space Forces Magazine.