Anybody want to talk about the Senate’s legislative effort? Us neither. Suffice it to say that, after working through scores of large and small amendments added at the nth hour, 98 Senators finally voted “yes” for the 2006 defense authorization measure, which authorized new spending of nearly $492 billion. Now the House and Senate must resolve differences. Wake us up when it’s over.
A top Pentagon tech official called on industry this week to help the military develop “lighter, more efficient” directed energy weapons designed to go on aircraft and conduct special operations missions or down drones—areas where the Air Force’s directed energy efforts have been quiet as of late.