Secretary of Defense Robert Gates hedged on maintaining the 2018 initial operational capability goal for a next generation bomber, saying the state of the economy has shed a different light on the NGB and other aspects of the nation’s strategic posture. He deflected a question from Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.), who wanted to know what steps would let the department reach the 2018 goal, saying that the new bomber would “clearly have to be a focus of the Quadrennial Defense Review.” Gates continued, saying he hoped to accelerate the QDR process so that it could “if not shape the FY10 budget, have a dramatic impact on the FY11 budget.” The lack of wholehearted support by Gates for the continuation of the new bomber program may come as a surprise to Undersecretary of Defense for Policy nominee Michele Flournoy, who during her confirmation hearing called the need for such a capability “absolutely critical” for the penetrating strike mission against sophisticated air defense networks. Still, she and Deputy Defense Secretary nominee William Lynn both agreed it would be a central topic of the upcoming QDR.
A provision in the fiscal 2025 defense policy bill will require the Defense Department to include the military occupational specialty of service members who die by suicide in its annual report on suicide deaths, though it remains to be seen how much data the department will actually disclose.