Sen. Byron Dorgan (D-N.D.) questioned Gen. Michael Moseley, Chief of Staff, about the “duplication” he sees in the Defense Department’s unmanned aerial vehicle arena, keying particularly on the Army desire to buy more than a hundred UAVs that fly at 20,000-25,000 feet. Dorgan said at a March 21 Senate Appropriations Defense Subcommittee hearing, “We have limited resources for nearly unlimited wants. … It seems to me that the Air Force ought to be the executive agent for medium-level and high-level UAV operations.” Moseley, in fact, recently has made just such a pitch to DOD. Moseley responded to Dorgan, saying that his “desire is to be able to meet requirements, whether they are Army requirements, Marine, Navy, special operations, or other government agency. … Right now, in theater, there are over 1,000 UAVs; a variety of systems, all good, all operated by well-meaning people. But the ability to capitalize on billions of dollars of future investment and to avoid the duplication has been my concern all along.”
Depot-level maintenance took longer than expected for nearly three-quarters of Air Force aircraft from fiscal 2019-2024, according to a new report, as unplanned repairs rise across the aging fleet. The report, from the Government Accountability Office, also found that the extent of the delays has been masked because officials often revise their target timelines after unplanned work occurs.