AFSOC’s CSAR-X Plan Meets a Cautious Congress: Lawmakers, apparently weary of weapons program cost and schedule overruns, took aim at Air Force Special Operations Command’s program to replace its elderly HH-60 Pave Hawk combat search and rescue helicopters. The 2006 defense spending bill contains a statement of concern that USAF might lose sight of the need to replace the HH-60s in “sufficient number” or in a “timely manner.” Appropriators have directed the Air Force to select an “existing aircraft” to limit time on R&D, and, what’s more, they are holding back $66 million of the $72 million slated for CSAR-X in 2006 until the service delivers a report with “detailed cost and schedule estimates.”
Billy Mitchell: Lessons a Hundred Years Hence
Dec. 16, 2025
Exactly 100 years ago, on Dec. 17, 1925, Brig. Gen. Billy Mitchell was convicted by court-martial for violating an order that required approval before he could engage with the media. Mitchell’s provocative thoughts and unorthodox methods sought attention for a cause that he saw as uniquely American.
