Why does it seem that weapons costs only go up? A Congressional appropriations panel thinks the answer has to do with contract management processes, and it wants to take a look at them as soon as the Fiscal 2006 defense spending bill is out the door. Rep. Bill Young (R-Fla.), the chairman of the House appropriations defense subcommittee, made it clear in a talk with the newsletter Defense Daily that he’d like to have hearings on the matter early next year. He added the review would affect decisions for the FY 2007 cycle. All of which raises a question: After more than three decades of hearings, probes, investigations, witch-hunts, studies, and reviews, can one more hearing possibly make a difference
The rate of building B-21 bombers would speed up if the fiscal 2026 defense budget passes. But it remains unclear how much capacity would be added, and whether the Air Force would simply build the bombers faster, or buy more.