Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-Calif.) says that the Pentagon has ignored “warnings over the dramatic growth in the cost of military products.” To remedy this, Hunter’s House Armed Services Committee proposes that the Pentagon consider conducting a new competition for any program that significantly breaches its cost estimate. The panel’s version of the 2007 defense authorization bill would force the Pentagon to certify that it had “issued a competitive solicitation but found no promising solutions” other than to continue with the current program.
After years of experiments and tests, senior Air Force leaders say they're on the verge of using C-17s and other cargo aircraft to launch cruise missiles via airdrop, touting the development as a way to bolster the combat fleet and a major shift in the service’s mindset.