Rep. John McHugh (R-N.Y.), chairman of the House Armed Services Personnel Subcommittee, appears to agree with Senate colleagues that the Pentagon’s proposed Tricare fee increases for military retirees needs an independent review. McHugh told Government Executive that he favors a “dispassionate” review, possibly conducted by the Government Accountability Office. McHugh’s counterpart, Sen. Lindsay Graham (R-S.C.), reached the same conclusion at a hearing last week. Rep. Walter Jones (R-N.C.) and Rep. Chet Edwards (D-Texas) have introduced a bill in the House that would kill the proposal and change the law to prevent DOD from altering fees without Congressional approval.
Air Force depots are not typically meant for quick repair jobs, but during Operation Epic Fury, the service moved some of its stateside heavy maintenance capability forward to fix battle-damaged aircraft closer to the fight.
