In the just passed 2007 defense authorization bill, Congress prohibits the Air Force from retiring any U-2 high flying reconnaissance aircraft in 2007 and requires a stringent certification of no need in subsequent years. Lawmakers want the Secretary of Defense to certify that U-2s “no longer contribute to mitigating any gaps” in intelligence-surveillance-reconnaissance capabilities as “identified in the Quadrennial Defense Review,” according to a House Armed Services Committee summary.
In Purge, Trump Fires Brown, Slife, Franchetti, and More
Feb. 21, 2025
President Donald Trump fired Air Force Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr. as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, announcing his intent to nominate retired Air Force Lt. Gen. John "Dan" Caine to replace him in a social media post Feb. 21.