GAO (Yawn) Urges Delay on JSF Authorizations: In its second annual report on the Joint Strike Fighter Program, the Government Accountability Office called on Congress to delay authorizations and appropriations for the fighter pending development of a new business case. The GAO claims DOD is putting too much money into the program before flight testing proves the investment will pay off. The auditors cited the overlap of production investment and testing timelines. The green eyeshades at GAO routinely make these recommendations. DOD replied that it believes its current practices achieve the results sought by GAO.
The six-week government shutdown did not affect the hours flown by Air Force pilots, a service spokesperson told Air & Space Forces Magazine—avoiding what could have been a major blow at a time when flying hours are already lower than they have been in decades.
