Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-Calif.), chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, wants to attach an amendment to the 2007 defense authorization bill that would turn Santa Rosa Island—in California’s Channel Islands National Park—into a DOD installation for military recreation and training. The Los Angeles Times reports that Hunter tried to work this issue last spring with little success.
The U.S. military is maintaining a beefed-up presence in the Middle East, including fighters and air defense assets, following the U.S. strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities June 22 and subsequent retaliation by the Iranians against Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar.