Cost-cutting is the order of the day in the halls of Congress, and lawmakers are coming up with new and inventive ways to find money for hurricane relief efforts. One of the ideas was the Republican Study Committees’ proposed closing schools located on stateside bases and transferring the children to nearby school districts. The plan, according to the committee, would save an estimated $788 million over 10 years. The trouble is, many dependent schools—of which there are 64 in seven states and Puerto Rico—are in rural areas with limited tax bases and scarce resources.
The Air Force displayed all the firepower it has amassed on Okinawa in an unusually diverse show of force this week. IIn a May 6 “Elephant Walk,” Kadena Air Base showcased 24 F-35A Lightning II stealth fighters, eight F-15E Strike Eagles; two U.S. Army Patriot anti-missile batteries near the runway; and…