Rep. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) thinks his state may not lose an Air Force Research Lab facility at Mesa, Ariz., that BRAC 2005 directed should move to AFRL headquarters at Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio. Flake told the Arizona Republic that the action on AFRL’s Warfighter Readiness Research Division at Mesa could be “postponed indefinitely.” Of course, that is not supposed to happen once the President and Congress sign off on the independent BRAC commission recommendations. And, Wright-Patt is investing big money to absorb new functions.
Three of four congressional committees with influence over defense policy have voted to change the official name of the Department of Defense to the Department of War—but final approval of the Pentagon rebrand is months away and not yet assured.