The House Armed Services Committee has alerted the Administration that it wants to form a special commission to examine the US strategic posture, “particularly regarding nuclear weapons policy.” Rep. Ike Skelton (D-Mo.), committee chairman, and Rep. Ellen Taushcer (D-Calif.), head of the strategic forces panel, sent a letter to Energy Secretary Samuel Bodman, Defense Secretary Robert Gates, and Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice last week following their release of the Administration’s nuclear strategy. Skelton and Tauscher said they “take issue with your assertion” that a delay in the reliable replacement warhead program would mean the US must sustain the current nuclear stockpile through costly and risky life extension efforts and potentially return to underground testing. They conclude that it is “too early to know whether RRW can deliver on the objectives that have been established for the program.” And, they suggest that “the prudent course” is “rigorous study” of the feasibility of the objectives.
Pentagon Releases Cost of Living, BAH Rates for 2026
Dec. 30, 2025
The Pentagon will pay cost of living allowances to 127,000 service members in the continental U.S. in 2026, an increase of 66,000 members in 2025. Airmen and Guardians across the U.S. will also receive an average increase of 4.2 percent for their Basic Housing Allowance, compared to the 5.4 percent…
