A group of Congressmen have lobbied appropriators to provide the same 2.7 percent pay raise for federal civilian employees as the House approved for military personnel in the 2007 defense authorization bill. Leading the effort are Rep. Tom Davis (R-Va.) and Minority Whip Steny Hoyer (D-Md.). The Administration proposal for 2007 had put both pay raises at 2.2 percent.
U.S. Africa Command will soon see if a small, autonomous aircraft can evacuate casualties from austere locations during a demonstration planned for December in Morocco. Merlin, an autonomous aviation firm, announced Nov. 11 it has received a $500,000 contract from AFRICOM for the demo mission.