GAO analysts say the Air Force may be right about needing to replace housing at Spangdahlem AB, Germany, but they take exception to the service’s key assumptions and methodology, which they say “were based on dated and incorrect information.” At the request of Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-Tex.), who chairs the Appropriations subcommittee overseeing military construction, the GAO reviewed the Air Force plans, which involve constructing 233 housing units at a cost of $131.3 million. GAO contends the Air Force did not follow pertinent guidelines for evaluating life cycle cost analyses and, by using 2003 requirements, may have overestimated the need for long term housing. DOD took exception to much of the GAO report but agreed that USAF should prepare a status report using the latest information and analysis. However, DOD notes that “support for the FY07 project at Spangdahlem AB remains critical.”
A semi-autonomous Collaborative Combat Aircraft drone shot down an air-to-air target in a Dec. 8 test supported by the U.S. Air Force, a notable milestone in the development of the loyal wingman-type drones that will join the fleets of the USAF, other American services, and allies and adversaries.
