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.”
The Air Force has finished modifying and testing the new VC-25B Bridge aircraft that will serve as a temporary Air Force One, the service announced May 1. All that’s left now is to finish painting the jet before it starts flying this summer.