USAF doesn’t stand alone—entirely—in its recent push to become lead agent for higher flying unmanned aerial vehicles. We reported that Sen. Byron Dorgan (D-N.D.) had expressed support for the plan. Now, a senior Air Force official says that a number of lawmakers have asked “why we are going down the path of duplicative systems.” Among the loudest, in addition to Dorgan: Sen. Wayne Allard (R-Colo.) and Sen. Kent Conrad (D-N.D.). Dorgan and Allard are on the Appropriations Committee; Conrad is on the Budget Committee. Conrad and Dorgan see a future for Air Force Predator UAVs at bases in their state. Recent comments by House Armed Services Committee Chairman Ike Skelton (D-Mo.) should also put him on the Air Force side on this issue.
Unit commanders are being told to separate service members who can’t shave their cheeks and chin for medical reasons for more than a year, according to new guidance from Secretary of War Pete Hegseth.
