Adding credence to the need for acquiring more than 180 C-17 airlifters is a Defense Science Board report (dated September 2005, but just released), in which the well-respected panel rings alarm bells over the 2008 cutoff of C-17 production. The DSB recommends the Pentagon keep open the option to “continue C-17 production beyond 2008.” The panel also recommended continued “evolutionary improvements” to both the C-17 and C-5 to increase their capabilities.
The Pentagon’s watchdog has identified serious concerns over corrosion, mold, and the structural decline of “critical infrastructure” at Air Force bases and other military installations in the Pacific, according to a recent report.