The Air Force’s top four acquisition priorities, according to USAF legislative liaison Maj. Gen. Robin Rand, are as follows: the KC-X tanker, F-35 strike fighter, intelligence- surveillance-reconnaissance, and military satellite communications/spaceborne missile warning. Rand spoke Sept. 28 at an Air Force Association-sponsored event in Arlington, Va. The list was on his briefing charts. By our read, the notable omissions are future long-range strike and a new combat search and rescue helicopter. Both of them were formerly on the service’s list, which, back in 2007, read: the next-generation tanker, a new CSAR helicopter, space systems, the F-35, and a next-generation bomber. That was before the CSAR-X program was terminated and work on NGB was shelved and the debate on long-range strike shifted toward a family of systems and away from one, do-it-all bomber. (See also Graveyard of Priorities from the Daily Report archives.)
Now Enlisted Airmen Can Stay in Uniform Longer
Dec. 8, 2023
The Air Force is extending the amount of time Airmen can spend at most enlisted ranks by two years, as the service looks to combat sluggish recruiting and balance its force structure. The High Year of Tenure (HYT) program sets limits on how long service members can spend in each grade…