The post needs Senate confirmation.
In this newsletter:
- A new glimpse of how much of the Air Force budget is controlled by Wright-Patterson.
- A new development in Beavercreek.
- How many Dayton VA employees accepted separation/retirement incentives this year.
DOD ready to promote general to run ‘critical weapons systems’
Nomination: Air Force Lt. Gen. Dale White has been nominated for promotion to general and assignment as “direct reporting portfolio manager for critical major weapon systems programs,” the DOD said recently.
Local implications? An Aug. 6 memo from the office of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth identified that office. In September, the Dayton Daily News reported that memo, which proposed the nomination of an O-10 or flag officer — equivalent to a four-star general in the Air Force — to oversee the delivery of critical weapons, with authority over the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, the AFLCMC Development Office and the Air Force Rapid Capabilities Office.
- The Life Cycle Management Center is based at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, with nearly 10,000 employees.
A Wright-Patterson command spent nearly $83 billion last fiscal year
What happened: A major Air Force command based at Wright-Patterson spent or obligated nearly $83 billion in fiscal year 2025. The Air Force Materiel Command (AFMC) closed out fiscal year 2025 executing $82.9 billion across its portfolio, the command said.
Why it matters: For perspective, the entire Air Force budget in the past fiscal year was about $217 billion. That means the team headquartered at Wright-Patterson controlled about 38% of last fiscal year’s Air Force budget.
Mission Point plan brought forward again for Beavercreek area
What happened: A developer and the city of Beavercreek have taken the first step in greenlighting a series of apartments near Wright-Patterson, an idea which was first floated nearly two decades ago.
Location, location, location: The property is on Mission Point Boulevard, on the south side of Col. Glenn Highway, west of Interstate 675 and near the base. The apartments would be on a 30-acre portion of the property, south of where two major defense-focused office buildings were approved last year.
Just 19 Dayton VA employees took incentives to leave their jobs
What you need to know: The Dayton VA Medical Center lost just 19 employees to incentives to leave their jobs or retire this year, Brian Hays, the center’s acting director, told me Tuesday.
- It was the first time a local VA official had publicly acknowledged the Dayton-area impact of Trump administration voluntary early retirement and voluntary separation incentives.
Dayton intends to raise water, sewer rates
What you need to know: Dayton’s water and sewer rates will be going up by more than 8% in each of the next three years, which administrators say is in response to inflation, unfunded regulatory considerations and the need to invest in the utility systems.
Three-year structure: Dayton City Commission this week approved an ordinance that will establish a new utility rate structure for 2026, 2027 and 2028.
Newsletter numbers
67 million: The National Retail Federation projects that more than 67 million shoppers will visit local stores for Small Business Saturday. Those shoppers will spend more than $22 billion. Read the story.
$51,476.12: How much the 12 Days of Christmas costs this year, according to the annual PNC Christmas Price Index. Read the story.
12: Though Dayton’s water and sewer rates have increased in 12 out of the last 15 years, Dayton still had the 12th lowest combined water and sewer utility charges of 70 local jurisdictions that were surveyed by the Piqua Utilities Department. (See story above.)
Contact me: Thanks for being here. Tell me about your business at tom.gnau@coxinc.com or at X. I’m also on LinkedIn and on our Dayton Business page, with my colleagues. Find me as well on my Facebook page.
Newsletter roundup
Miami Twp: Soon to be home of the region’s newest Chik-fil-A.
Thankful for: Bengals beating the Ravens.
Thankful for: Flyers rallying to beat Georgetown.
Thankful for: Raiders winning on the road.
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