It was premature to cut defense spending 15 years ago, said Rep. Curt Weldon Wednesday, adding that the long hiatus in modernizing—which he characterized as “sitting around singing ‘Kumbaya’… because the world was at peace”—has made the current situation almost “unbearable.” Defense spending has “hit a ceiling” because entitlement programs devour 60 percent of the federal tax dollar. He told attendees at AFA’s Air & Space Conference that they have no choice but to do more with less. He enjoined them to help by “cutting costs on the programs you want to buy.”
The use of a military counter-drone laser on the southwest border this week—which prompted the Federal Aviation Administration to abruptly close the airspace over El Paso, Texas—will be a “case study” on the complex web of authorities needed to employ such weapons near civilian areas and the consequences of agencies…
