Wyoming elected officials—in a tealeaf reading mode—are casting about for additional missions for F.E. Warren Air Force Base near Cheyenne. The base has been spared from the upcoming cut to the nation’s ICBM force, but the Caspar (Wyo.) Star-Tribune reports that local leaders “have encouraged” the Wyoming Congressional delegation to shop around for additional missions. They believe it’s only a matter of time before the demise of the land-based ICBM force. Warren already has 50 empty missile silos—the ones that formerly held the newest ICBM, the Peacekeeper. Sen. Craig Thomas (R-Wyo.) tells the newspaper that he has sought new missions for the base for several years.
A new report from the Government Accountability Office calls for the Pentagon’s Chief Technology Officer to have budget certification authority over the military services’ research and development accounts—a move the services say would add a burdensome and unnecessary layer of bureaucracy.
