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king to reporters about his forthcoming agenda as the head of the Senate Armed Services Committee, Carl Levin said he would not stint in unearthing contractual wrongdoings on Pentagon programs. The long-time Senator from Michigan has been a stalwart proponent of the military services, but he also has pushed for procurement reform, including supporting Arizona Republican Sen. John McCain’s push for a strict accounting of the Air Force’s tanker lease deal. Levin directed scathing remarks last year to then Pentagon Inspector General Joseph Schmitz for “critical gaps” in the IG’s accountability report of the tanker deal, saying they “raise serious questions about whether this report meets applicable requirements for the independence of Inspectors General.” (Read more in our September 2005 “The Tanker Blame Game.”)
The Air Force is placing Air Combat Command in charge of teaching combat tactics to fighter and remotely-piloted aircraft units, according to a May 12 announcement. Beginning this summer, the service will reassign the formal training units for the F-35, F-16, and MQ-9 from Air Education and Training Command to…