The Senate confirmed the nominations of Alan Estevez to be the principal deputy undersecretary of defense for acquisition, technology, and logistics, and Marcel Lettre to be the principal deputy undersecretary of defense for intelligence. Estevez’s approval came on Oct. 30, while Lettre’s came on the following day, according to the Senate’s listing of civilian confirmations. President Obama nominated Estevez for the post in January, and Lettre for his position in July. Estevez had been serving since August 2011 as assistant secretary of defense for logistics and materiel readiness. Lettre had been the special assistant to the Defense Secretary since April 2011.
Trainees in Basic Military Training and technical school no longer have the option to try alternate PT drills if they fail an initial assessment, according to a policy change the Air Force made in April. The move is part of a larger shift out of the classroom and into hands-on,…