Barbara Barrett's formal nomination to be the next Air Force secretary remains held up as officials finish the ethics paperwork required to send her name to the Senate for consideration, two sources tell Air Force Magazine. “They are in the final stages of completing all of the ethics paperwork,” a source close to the Barretts said in an email. “There are no showstoppers.” It takes a while to unwind the nominee from her extensive business resume, a Senate aide added. President Donald Trump announced his intent to pick the former chair of The Aerospace Corporation and deputy administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration to lead the Air Force in May. Barrett “looks forward to a confirmation hearing as early as possible in September,” the source close to the family said. Read the full story by Rachel S. Cohen.

Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force Kaleth Wright is leading a push to give airmen designated time off for bereavement, in case of a death in the family or another emergency. Airmen are currently required to use regular leave in those cases, but that doesn’t make much sense to Wright and other Air Force leaders. For some airmen, approved personal leave lasts only a couple of days before they have to return to work. This does not give an airman enough time to, for example, get an estate in order for a parent who died, or set up funeral and burial arrangements, Wright said. He suggested airmen should be allowed to take up to 14 days of bereavement leave on top of other forms of time off. Read the full story by Brian Everstine.

Three Active-Duty airmen assigned to Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio, were treated for minor injuries sustained while evacuating the area near a mass shooting that killed at least nine people and injured at least 27 in Dayton early Aug. 4, according to Col. Thomas Sherman, 88th Air Base Wing and Wright-Patterson installation commander. No Air Force personnel were reported dead. "While we are profoundly grateful that none of our fellow airmen were seriously injured, the base and the entire community are heartbroken over this senseless taking of life," Sherman told Air Force Magazine through a spokesman. "This community came together after the recent tornadoes and we will rise above once again. The entire Wright-Patt family will keep all in our thoughts and prayers as this community comes together to heal." ––Rachel S. Cohen

A top US official who oversees strategic forces is concerned about growing uncertainty in nuclear arms control, as America’s withdrawal from a major Cold War-era treaty took effect Aug. 2. “There are many challenges, but there’s two main ones,” Vice Adm. Dave Kriete, US Strategic Command’s deputy commander, told reporters during a July 31 roundtable. “The first is to continue to understand and stay ahead of and adjust as needed in the face of changing threats.” The second challenge lies in keeping nuclear forces modernization on track. Kriete said STRATCOM would have to find new ways to verify how many nuclear weapons Russia owns or what capabilities they wield if the New START Treaty lapses. Read the full story by Rachel S. Cohen.

The total cost of the F-35 program grew by $25 billion in 2018—or about $95 billion when adjusting for inflation—in part because of a new slate of upgrades known as Block 4, the Pentagon said in an annual acquisition report published Aug. 1. Acquisition alone—including research and development, procurement, and military construction costs—rose by $15.3 billion compared to the 2012 baseline, or $22.2 billion when adjusted for inflation. The Pentagon also noted a dispute between its cost assessment and program evaluation shop, which believes Joint Strike Fighter operations and sustainment costs are rising, and the F-35 Joint Program Office, which argues those costs are shrinking. Read the full story by John A. Tirpak.

Two test pilots from Eglin Air Force Base’s 413th Flight Test Squadron became the service’s first airmen to receive Federal Aviation Administration ratings to fly the AW-139 helicopter––the civilian version of the helicopter that will replace the UH-1N Huey. Since a Boeing-Leonardo Helicopter team is still developing the military MH-139, getting an FAA “type rating” moves pilots “one step closer to flight testing” the aircraft once it is built, Maj. Zach Roycroft, the squadron’s lead test pilot for the MH-139, said in an Aug. 1 release. Airmen are also being trained in AW-139 maintenance and getting familiar with the helicopter to prepare for the MH-139’s arrival. The squadron plans to receive its first MH-139 in November. The Air Force is buying 84 helos to phase out the Vietnam-era Huey. ––Jennifer-Leigh Oprihory