USAF Gen. Richard Myers, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, had a few sharp words for anyone harping about ongoing problems with new space programs: “There’s a lot of blame to go around there.” From a new weather satellite to a ballistic missile warning satellite replacement, Pentagon officials admit to schedule delays and cost overruns. “We have some space systems that are not in good shape right now,” Myers said bluntly. “The department is a piece of that, industry’s a piece of that [and] the Congress is a piece of that.” He added that fixing the programs are a “long term issue.”
Three of four congressional committees with influence over defense policy have voted to change the official name of the Department of Defense to the Department of War—but final approval of the Pentagon rebrand is months away and not yet assured.