The Air National Guard has a dilemma: Under current plans, the Air Force’s purchase of fifth-generation aircraft to recapitalize the fighter force will not meet Air Guard needs since at least 80 percent of its F-16s will reach the end...

Sen. Daniel Inouye (D-Hawaii), chairman of the Senate Appropriations defense panel, questioned why the Air Guard has announced “plans to grow by 7,000 in Fiscal 2010.” He pointed out during a March 25 hearing that ANG had not reduced its...

A bipartisan group of six Senators on March 26 sent a letter to President Obama urging him to preserve the next generation bomber (NGB) in the Fiscal 2010 defense budget. Despite protests to the contrary, there is strong sentiment that the NGB is on the Administration hit list among weapons cuts sure to come in the new budget. The Senators write that terminating the NGB "would do tremendous damage to our nation's future ability to project power abroad." They reminded the President that senior Administration officials have agreed the new bomber is "absolutely critical." The Senators are: John Cornyn (R-Tex.), Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-Tex.), Tim Johnson (D-S.D.), Mary Landrieu (D-La.), John Thune (R-S.D.), and David Vitter (R-La.)

Whoever gets the Pentagon's top acquisition post, declared Ashton Carter, President Obama's nominee for the position, told lawmakers at his confirmation hearing March 26, that "job one" will be to get [defense weapons programs] under control." He said, "Too many of these programs are failing their costs, schedule, and performance expectations." And, he added, "Some are failing even more fundamentally the test of whether they are needed for the future military challenges we are most likely to face." Carter refused to speak specifically about individual programs, including the next generation bomber when questioned by Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) (see above). However he acknowledged that the NGB "would certainly be in that portfolio of things" he would want as a "China hedge." (Carter advance questions)

Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.) elicited a promise from Pentagon weapons buyer nominee Ashton Carter that he would “serve up the best acquisition strategy as honestly as I possibly can” if he gets the job and thus must supervise the re-bid...

Among the US military forces dispatched to aid four states stricken by heavy flooding and snows are search and rescue crews and two UH-1N helicopters from Minot AFB, N.D. The Minot crews deployed first to Bismarck, N.D., where they helped...

The precarious humanitarian situation in the Darfur region has elicited harsh criticism from Obama Administration officials and raised the specter of potential creation of a new multi-lateral “no fly zone.” However, according to Gen. Roger Brady, head of US Air...

Gen. Roger Brady, head of US Air Forces in Europe, believes Europe could use irregular forces “very effectively.” Brady explained to the Defense Writers Group in Washington March 26 that allies currently without modern air forces, particularly smaller states, could...

March 25, 2009 Sortie Type OIF OEF OIF/OEF Total YTD ISR 25 16 41 3,317 CAS/Armed Recon 25 79 104 8,330 Airlift 150 150 11,125 Air refueling 44 44 3,818 Total 339 26,590 OIF=Operation Iraqi Freedom OEF=Operation Enduring Freedom ISR=Intelligence-surveillance-reconnaissance...