So far, so good, says Lt. Gen. Bud Wyatt, Air National Guard boss, when asked about the prospects that the Air Guard will field F-35 strike fighters at the same time as the active duty force and in suitable numbers. “When you look at where we were a year ago and [then] where we are today, I think the Air Force has made great progress and has been very supportive in the concurrent beddown of the F-35,” Wyatt told the Daily Report Tuesday. Much still needs to happen before final basing decisions are rendered. “But right now, I am very satisfied with the progress,” he said. Last year, Wyatt expressed deep concern over the Air Guard’s paltry initial F-35 role. Subsequently, in a seemingly positive development, the Air Force issued the short list of initial 11 F-35 candidate bases with five Guard sites included.
The U.K. and the U.S. will continue to enjoy access to the ports, airfield, and workshops at Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean for at least another century, under a deal inked between the U.K. and Mauritius May 22.