If the House Armed Services readiness panel has its way, the Pentagon would establish a permanent corrosion policy and oversight office directly under the Undersecretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics. Currently, there is a corrosion office about “three layers removed” from the undersecretary, according to the panel’s Fiscal 2008 defense authorization bill markup statement. The subcommittee also notes that “corrosion is a $10 billion problem for DOD, but this year’s budget provides only $14 million for the corrosion office.” The authorizers also want the Pentagon to submit an annual report detailing long-term strategy and the savings recouped and explaining how it arrived at its funding request based on requirements.
Gene Smith, Former POW and AFA Chair, Dies at 91
Jan. 19, 2026
Lt. Col. Richard “Gene” Smith, who overcame five and a half years as a prisoner of war in the notorious Hanoi Hilton from 1967 until 1973, died Jan. 16. He was one day short of his 91st birthday.
