Air Combat Command and Air Force Global Strike Command officials led a one-day summit Sept. 30 at Langley AFB, Va., to discuss the transfer of the service’s three nuclear-capable bomber wings from ACC to Global Strike Command next February. This was the first of three such meeting; the second will take place in November, and the third in December. “Our goal is to make sure that we have a very smooth and safe handoff,” said Col. Jim Dunn, director of ACC’s strategic deterrence and nuclear integration office. Manning was a topic of the conversation. Dunn said since “there is not an overwhelming number of people with nuclear experience” across the Air Force, identifying the best-suited personnel to move into the right jobs at Global Strike Command “has probably been” and “will continue to be” the biggest challenge. (Langley report by TSgt. Mike Slater)
The emphasis on speed in the Pentagon’s newly unveiled slate of acquisition reforms may come with increased near-term cost increases, analysts say. But according to U.S. defense officials, the new weapons-buying construct provides the military with enough flexibility to prevent runaway budget overruns in major programs.
