Air Force Secretary Confirms She’ll Quit

Sheila E. Widnall, the first woman named secretary of the Air Force, announced she is resigning as the service’s top civilian official. Widnall had made it known informally to administration officials months ago that she intended to leave after the Air Force’s 50th anniversary celebrations this fall. Her announcement comes weeks after Gen. Ronald R. Fogleman quit his chief of staff post in a disagreement over placing blame for a deadly terrorist attack on U.S. troops in Saudi Arabia in 1996.