The Air Force has selected Picerne Military Housing of East Greenwich, R.I., to privatize military family housing at Edwards AFB, Calif.; Eglin AFB, Fla.; Eielson AFB, Alaska; McConnell AFB, Kan.; Seymour Johnson AFB, N.C.; and Hurlburt Field, Fla. The $545 million deal will provide new and renovated housing for 4,188 military families. Under it, the Air Force will lease approximately 2,425 acres of land as part of a 50-year transaction and convey thousands of housing units to PMH. This project will provide approximately 1,535 new and 1,595 renovated homes within 5 years. The houses will become property of Picerne, which will own and operate them for the 50-year lease period. This is PMH’s first Air Force housing privatization project. The Air Force is on pace to have all of its family housing privatized at its stateside bases in 2012. (San Antonio release)
Lloyd Austin, President-elect Joe Biden’s pick to lead the Pentagon, spent his Senate confirmation hearing on Jan. 19 pressing his civilian bona fides to lawmakers, with some pledging opposition to the waiver Austin would need to become the nation’s first Black Defense Secretary. Austin spent 40 years in the military…