Not happy with the rebuff of its attempt to rein in the Administration’s conduct of the Iraq war via the war supplemental funding bill, the Senate now appears poised to try again with the 2008 defense authorization bill. The full Senate takes up the measure today. News reports say that first up will be a vote on an amendment from Sen. James Webb (D-Va.) that would impose a minimum amount of time that service members would get at home between deployments to Iraq. Webb teamed with Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius late last month calling for “more sustainable deployment lengths and adequate dwell time between deployments.” They cited rotation burnout, mental stress, and family problems, all leading to poor retention for ground forces.
‘Angry Kitten’ EW Pod Tested on Search-and-Rescue HC-130
April 17, 2026
The Air Force recently tested its “Angry Kitten” electronic warfare pod on an HC-130J during Exercise Bamboo Shield, showing the pod can turn the rescue platform into a command-and-control node and protect it from enemy radars.The tests follow what could be the pod’s first use in combat after it was…