Roger That: Air Mobility Command earns excellence award

Air Mobility Command recently received the Air Force Organizational Excellence Award from the Secretary of the Air Force Personnel Council Awards and Decorations Branch, for the period of Jan 1, 2012 to Dec 31, 2013, the Air Moblity Command has announced.

Major achievements leading to the award included AMC airmen spearheading a $58 billion KC-46 “Pegasus” basing program and a $3.5 million Advance Air Refueling Capability Concepts program initiative. What’s more, AMC designed an improved aircrew scheduling program, reducing fuel consumption by 4.1 million gallons a year, all while continuing to provide support to Operation Enduring Freedom and other operations, removing more than 11,000 tons of equipment, including 307 combat vehicles from theaters of combat, according to the AMC.

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The U.S. will face a “bow wave” of increased costs to update its nuclear arsenal, but operating budgets could thereafter return to levels comparable to today's, according to a new study released by a Washington, D.C. think tank, as reported by Air Force Times.

The Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessment, in a report released Tuesday, estimates it could cost $704 billion between 2015 and 2039 to fully update and upgrade the nation’s nuclear arsenal.

The Air Force will likely spend more than $30 billion to overhaul its nuclear arsenal over the next four years, according to a report from Congress’ top watchdog that quoted Defense Department estimates, according to Air Force Times.

The Pentagon currently spends about $15 billion a year maintaining the nation's nuclear force. Both Defense Department estimates and the CSBA study expect that costs could approach $25 billion annually through the 2020s as launch systems are upgraded or overhauled.

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Retired Marine Corps Brig. Gen. Frederick “Fritz” Payne, 104, of Palm Desert, Calif. — the country’s oldest living American fighter ace — died Thursday, according to the Marine Corps Times.

Payne, who celebrated his birthday on July 31, recently received the Congressional Gold Medal for his service — Congress’ highest civilian award — during a Memorial Day ceremony at the Palm Springs Air Museum in May.

The title of American Fighter Ace is reserved for pilots who have shot down at least five enemy aircraft in aerial combat during World War I, World War II, Korea and Vietnam.

Payne flew the F4F Wildcat in combat action over the Pacific during World War II, ringing up all of his 5 1/2 “kills” in September and October of 1942 while fighting in the Guadalcanal campaign. His first victory was a half-share in shooting down a twin-engine Japanese bomber. He later knocked out three bombers and two fighters in solo “kills.”

This story was originally published August 11, 2015 at 9:37 AM with the headline "Roger That: Air Mobility Command earns excellence award."