First, Sen. Olympia Snowe (R-Maine) put a hold on Navy Secretary Gordon England’s nomination to become Deputy Secretary of Defense. She was concerned about BRAC and the status of Navy shipbuilding. Now, Sen. Trent Lott (R-Miss.) tells Defense Daily that he believes England is the wrong man for the job due to his poor management of naval shipbuilding programs. (Mississippi is home to several of the Navy’s largest shipbuilders.) “I am so disappointed in Gordon England,” Lott proclaimed. Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman John Warner now thinks the White House should make England a recess appointment, but so far the Administration has resisted that option.
Less than a day after arriving in the Middle East, F-15E Strike Eagles from Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, N.C. defended Israel from an Iranian attack in April 2024. DUDE flight, four F-15Es from the 335th Fighter Squadron, downed two dozen Iranian drones in roughly 45 minutes.