The Air Force woke up on Friday possessing something it hasn’t had since August 2007: an undersecretary. Erin Conaton on Thursday evening finally received the Senate’s nod to fill the service’s No. 2 civilian post, thus ending a four-month saga since her nomination last November. Her confirmation had been placed on hold during that period first by Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.) and later by Sen. Richard Shelby (R-Ala.) over issues dealing with the Air Force’s KC-X tanker competition. Conaton comes to the Air Force from the House Armed Services Committee, where she has been staff director. Along with Conaton, the Senate on Thursday confirmed Terry Yonkers to be assistant secretary of the Air Force for installations and environment and Frank Kendall to be the principal deputy to the Pentagon’s acquisition executive.
Hypersonic ARRW Readied for Booster Flight
March 8, 2021
An AGM-183A Air-launched Rapid Response Weapon hypersonic missile is being readied for its first booster flight at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., the Air Force announced March 5. The missile that flies within the next month will not be an all-up round. Instead, the test will run the missile through…