Walking a Knife’s Edge
Sequestration and the spending cuts initially imposed by the 2011 Budget Control Act have put the Air Force in a place where it is now “walking a knife’s edge between being able to maintain readiness or not,” Chief of Staff...
Mattis Discusses Afghanistan Drawdown
US Central Command boss Marine Corps Gen. James Mattis told members of the Senate Armed Services Committee on Tuesday that he has recommended leaving some 13,600 US troops in Afghanistan after 2014 when NATO’s combat mission there concludes. These troops...
Brennan Gets Senate Committee’s Nod to Head CIA
The Senate Intelligence Committee on Tuesday voted in favor of advancing the nomination of White House Counterterrorism Advisor John Brennan, President Obama’s pick to lead the CIA, to the full Senate for consideration. The tally was 12 to three, with...
Heading for Mission Uncertainty
Today, US Strategic Command can execute its assigned responsibilities under the budget continuing resolution and the sequester, said Gen. Robert Kehler, who heads the command. However, “I am concerned that I may not be able to say the same in...
Readiness and the Asia-Pacific Rebalance
Adm. Samuel Locklear, US Pacific Command boss, told the House Armed Services Committee on Tuesday that the impacts of budget sequestration and the continuing resolution have created “significant budget uncertainties” in his area of responsibility. They have the potential to...
McCaskill Rebukes Air Force for Overturned Conviction
Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.) on Tuesday blasted the Air Force for the recent decision that overturned the conviction of an officer at Aviano AB, Italy, in a sexual misconduct case. She said this move would only discourage victims of sexual...
The Half-Full F-35 Glass
There’s “more good news than bad news” on the F-35 strike fighter program, said Lt. Gen. Christopher Bogdan, F-35 program executive officer, on Tuesday. Speaking at an Aviation Week conference in Arlington, Va., Bogdan said “generally, we are on track”...
It’s Not a Trillion-Dollar F-35
The figure of $1.1 trillion as the operating and support costs of the F-35 strike fighter program is “not a good number,” said Lt. Gen. Christopher Bogdan, who oversees the aircraft’s development, on Tuesday. The trillion-dollar figure that some F-35...
Let the Competition Begin
Although Lockheed Martin may have thought it would have sole-source dibs on anything related to the F-35 strike fighter, the Pentagon will throw open some major parts of the program for competition, said F-35 Program Executive Officer Lt. Gen. Christopher...
Better to Prepare
If the Pentagon furloughs its civilian workforce later this year due to the budget sequester, Air Force civilians would be furloughed for no more than 16 hours per pay period, announced the Air Force Personnel Center on Tuesday. Air Force...