The Senate Armed Services Committee on Wednesday approved the nomination of Heather Wilson to be the next Secretary of the Air Force with a vote of 22 to 5. The nomination now moves to the full Senate for a vote. Wilson is a former Republican congresswoman from New Mexico, president of the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology, and a 1982 Air Force Academy graduate. During her confirmation hearing she urged Congress to repeal sequestration budget caps, and vowed to work with industry to get the best deal on a variety of USAF acquisition programs.
The Air Force is planning to spend $2.19 billion over the next five years to acquire new C-37 jets for transporting military and civilian leaders. That’s on top of another $1.17 billion in projected funding for the VC-25B “Air Force One” replacement.