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.
Aircraft readiness will suffer if Congress does not approve some $1.5 billion worth of spare parts the Air Force requested in its annual Unfunded Priorities List, sent to Capitol Hill last week, Chief of Staff Gen. David W. Allvin said.