After her nomination spent weeks in limbo, the Senate confirmed Ms. Erin Conaton as the new Under Secretary of the Air Force. Sen. Richard Shelby (D-AL) had placed a hold on Ms. Conaton’s nomination over concerns about the Air Force contract for refueling tanker planes.  The Pentagon and the administration had repeatedly urged the a vote on this nomination as well as that for the Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics (Frank Kendall) and the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Installations and Environment (Terry Yonkers).  All for confirmed last week.  Ms. Conaton most recently was the staff director of the House Armed Services Committee.