House defense authorizers reaffirmed their desire that USAF keep 76 B-52 bombers, rather than dropping down to 56 as proposed in the President’s 2008 budget request. In their version of the new defense bill, they provide $106.4 million to upgrade and maintain the entire fleet of 76, until USAF comes up with a replacement platform, currently on the Pentagon agenda for around 2018. Lawmakers have repeatedly expressed skepticism that USAF can meet that aggressive timetable.
As the Space Force prepares to field new fleets of satellites that can track moving targets in the air and on the ground, it’s working to ensure it has the organizational structures in place to onboard and operate those systems.
