A significant reshuffling of oversight responsibility is in the offing under the leadership of the new House Armed Services Committee Chairman, Rep. Ike Skelton (D-Mo.). Government Executive reports that Skelton will shift Air Force strategic air to the Air and Land Forces Subcommittee (formerly Tactical Air and Land Forces). That will leave only Navy and Marine Corps programs within the former Projection Forces Subcommittee, now called the Seapower and Expeditionary Forces Subcommittee.
The Air Force is spending heavily on F-22 improvements through the end of the decade, suggesting it may not retire the jet in 2030 as it previously planned. New sensors, fuel tanks, communications, and electronic warfare systems are among the upgrades that comprise the package.