The Air Force may soon welcome its third consecutive female secretary at a time when the nation has yet to see a woman as Army or Navy secretary or as secretary of defense. The Senate Armed Services Committee will hold a Sept. 12 confirmation hearing for Barbara Barrett, President Trump’s nominee to be the next Air Force secretary. Barrett is a former Federal Aviation Administration deputy administrator and former chairman of the board of trustees for the nonprofit Aerospace Corp., and was a member of the Defense Advisory Committee on Women in the Services (DACOWITS) during George H.W. Bush’s presidency. How did the Air Force come to be the likeliest spot for female senior civilian leaders in the Department of Defense? Read the full story by Rachel S. Cohen.

FAIRCHILD AFB, Wash.—The Air Force will not allow its new tanker to carry personnel or cargo after several incidents in which cargo locks broke free during flight, prompting the service to issue another Category 1 deficiency for the troubled aircraft. Air Mobility Command, working with the Air Force Operational Test and Evaluation Center and the KC-46 System Program Office, recently issued a Flight Crew Information File restricting the Pegasus from carrying cargo or passengers, AMC spokesman Col. Damien Pickart said in a release. The restriction comes as AMC kicks off its largest-ever exercise here at Fairchild AFB, Wash., which includes all of its other refuelers and airlift aircraft while the KC-46 remains on the sideline. The Air Force had already decided to keep the KC-46 from flying in the exercise when the restraint issue was discovered. Read the full story by Brian Everstine.

Six months after the Air Force hosted its inaugural Pitch Day in New York, its acquisition boss has ideas about how to improve fast-track contracting. Will Roper has talked to program offices about soliciting pitches in more traditional, bigger competitions. Under the current Pitch Day construct, companies come in, explain why the Air Force should pay for their product, and potentially leave the event with funding in hand. If that happens for a more major acquisition, it would signal a major shift away from years-long development and procurement processes that shape the Air Force’s key programs. "Why should we let someone build an airplane or satellite unless they bring in their design team and production team?" Roper told Air Force Magazine at a recent conference outside Washington, D.C. "Show us your passion. Show us your skill set." Read the full story by Rachel S. Cohen.

Nearly half of all veterans who served after 9/11 blame deployment for a decline in their mental health, regardless of whether they saw combat, according to a Sept. 10 Pew Research Center report. That stands in stark contrast to how veterans who served before the terror attacks dealt with mental health, in part because previous generations deployed fewer times. One-quarter of all veterans—with or without combat experience—who finished serving before 9/11 said deploying took a negative toll on their mental health, the report said. The center’s deep dive looked at the effects of deployment and combat experience, the process of transitioning into civilian life, finding jobs after leaving the military, and civilian-military perceptions. Read the full story by Jennifer-Leigh Oprihory.

SSgt. Adam Erickson of Edwards AFB, Calif., died Sept. 10 in a parachute training accident, the 412th Test Wing said in a Sept. 11 release. Erickson was performing a routine military proficiency jump, according to the wing. No other details were released. “We are deeply saddened by this tragic loss. Adam touched many lives during his time here and our hearts and prayers go out to his family, friends, and coworkers,” Brig. Gen. John Teichert, commander of the wing, said in the release. The Test Wing runs the Air Force Test Pilot School, vets aircraft and other systems, and shapes the design process to ensure new technology meets the service’s requirements. —Rachel S. Cohen

Retired Gen. Ellen Pawlikowski, the former head of Air Force Materiel Command, has joined the board of directors at Intelsat, the video and broadband services provider, the company announced Sept. 11. Intelsat appointed Pawlikowski, who left the Air Force in 2018, as well as Jacqueline Reses, who runs the lending division of the payments company Square. “Their breadth of experience in the government, media, and telecommunications sectors will prove instrumental as Intelsat develops its next-generation network and introduces new services to the marketplace,” David McGlade, chairman of Intelsat’s board, said in a release. Pawlikowski also held various leadership positions at the Military Satellite Communications Systems Wing at Los Angeles AFB, Calif., the National Reconnaissance Office, the Air Force Research Laboratory, and the Space and Missile Systems Center. —Rachel S. Cohen