The South Dakota Air National Guard’s 114th Fighter Wing at Joe Foss Field in Sioux Falls is the 2010 recipient of the National Guard Bureau’s Winston P. Wilson Trophy, wing officials announced Thursday. The award recognizes the Air Guard’s most outstanding unit operating either fighter or reconnaissance aircraft. Col. Russ Walz, the wing’s commander, said receiving the prestigious award is “strong affirmation” by Air Force leaders in the South Dakota Air Guard’s contributions to the nation’s defense. The wing has been converting from F-16 Block 30 aircraft to the newer and more advanced F-16 Block 40 configuration. The trophy is named after retired Maj. Gen. Winston Wilson, who led the NGB from 1963 to 1971 and is considered the architect of the modern ready reserve. The South Dakota Air Guard also won the trophy back in 1981, 1983, and 2007.
A new report from the Government Accountability Office calls for the Pentagon’s Chief Technology Officer to have budget certification authority over the military services’ research and development accounts—a move the services say would add a burdensome and unnecessary layer of bureaucracy.
