According to testimony at a Senate Veterans Affairs Committee hearing last week, there is growing concern that young veterans are disproportionately left out of a boom employment environment. And, Sen. Larry Craig (R-Idaho) told the Administration, “We are going to keep coming back at you again, and again, and again, until you either get it right or we fix it for you through legislation.” Data show that veterans aged 20-24 have an unemployment rate that is twice that of their peers.
The F-35 Joint Program Office has officially announced plans to issue multiple sole-source contracts to Pratt & Whitney to upgrade the fighter’s F135 engine—a widely expected move after Pentagon officials indicated they would do so earlier this year instead of developing an entirely new engine.