It looks like the Air Force’s F-22A Raptor fighter will be back in the Congressional spotlight this week. The Senate Armed Services Committee’s airland panel has set July 25 (Tuesday) for a new hearing. The subject: USAF’s multiyear procurement plan unveiled in the 2007 budget. This issue is controversial; many in Congress (and even a few in DOD) think it does not pass legal muster. The Pentagon and Air Force call it a smart way to do business. Appearing on the F-22’s behalf will be Air Force Secretary Michael Wynne and James Finley, the Pentagon’s deputy undersecretary of defense for acquisition and technology. The critics will be represented by the heads of the GAO, CBO, and (no kidding), the Project on Government Oversight—you know, “POGO.” Stay tuned.
Amid NATO’s continued push to ramp up air defenses in Eastern Europe, Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall swung by seven allied countries to boost relations last week, including those on Russia’s and Ukraine’s doorstep.