If a report by Roxana Tiron in The Hill is correct, conferees working the 2008 defense authorization bill have decided the Army shouldn’t be kicked out of the Joint Cargo Aircraft program. Despite House leanings toward a full roles and missions scrub, House conferees cast out a Senate provision that would have given JCA to the Air Force alone. They argued that the roles and missions debate needs more light of day than the Senate provided. Stay tuned.
The Pentagon announced new long-term agreements with four defense companies May 13 to develop and produce large numbers of low-cost cruise missiles. And while the effort will focus mostly on the Army to start, it pairs with Air Force efforts to find more affordable munitions.