First, Sen. Olympia Snowe (R-Maine) put a hold on Navy Secretary Gordon England’s nomination to become Deputy Secretary of Defense. She was concerned about BRAC and the status of Navy shipbuilding. Now, Sen. Trent Lott (R-Miss.) tells Defense Daily that he believes England is the wrong man for the job due to his poor management of naval shipbuilding programs. (Mississippi is home to several of the Navy’s largest shipbuilders.) “I am so disappointed in Gordon England,” Lott proclaimed. Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman John Warner now thinks the White House should make England a recess appointment, but so far the Administration has resisted that option.
General Atomics, the maker of one of the Air Force’s first Collaborative Combat Aircraft, has ambitious plans for its family of semi-autonomous drones beyond the FQ-42, including a flying-wing aircraft capable of carrying out both reconnaissance and strike missions. Meanwhile, the Air Force Research Laboratory announced a new program to…