Rep. Curt Weldon (R-Pa.) is promising fireworks at an upcoming Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on the Able Danger operation that, in 2000, purportedly fingered al Qaeda cells—including key 9/11 hijacker Mohammed Atta. Weldon told Congressional Quarterly that a DOD employee would testify that civilian supervisors ordered him to destroy a large cache of data pertaining to al Qaeda—or risk losing his job. And this just after the Pentagon shrugged its shoulders last week upon finishing a three-week investigation and reaffirming that Able Danger was merely a planning exercise. (DR, 09/06/05) Pentagon officials did say they had found three new folks who may recall seeing something on Atta.
As Air Force leaders consider concepts of operations for Collaborative Combat Aircraft, sustainment in the field—and easing that support by using standard parts and limiting variants—should be a key consideration, according to a new study from AFA's Mitchell Institute of Aerospace Studies.