Defense spending has probably reached an “apex” for the foreseeable future, and it’s probably “going down from here,” Lt. Gen. David Deptula, deputy chief of staff for ISR, told reporters in Washington yesterday. Mounting bills for social programs, social security, and Medicare for baby boomers likely won’t allow much room for new defense spending, so it will be critical to “add new capabilities…to the stuff we already have,” he said. “The money’s not going to be there” for a massive refresh of the military’s force structure, he asserted.
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.