Hunter is joined by Rep. Ike Skelton (D-Mo.), the committee’s ranking minority member, in urging that Congress shine more light on how the Pentagon arrives at its conclusions in its Quadrennial Defense Reviews. The latest such QDR is in its final stages now; all signs are that it will bring enormous changes in US policy, force structure, and organization. House panel members believe their CDR will complement the QDR, providing more information about service needs and threats faced. They say it’s a totally bipartisan effort with enormous potential. At a Sept. 21 hearing, Skelton said that the panel’s CDR “could be the pole star of what we do in this Congress.”
F-35As from the Vermont Air National Guard have deployed to Puerto Rico in recent days, continuing a major buildup of U.S. Air Force assets in Latin America aimed at combating drug trafficking and pressuring the regime of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro.
