Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld wrote a letter to Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman John Warner Nov. 30, saying DOD is concerned about legislation that would bring commercial oil drilling in closer to Florida’s Gulf Coast. Rumsfeld maintains such a proposal is “incompatible” with military testing and training activities. Florida’s Senate delegation has been lobbying DOD to weigh in on the proposal, which would allow drilling in areas up to 25 miles off the Gulf Coast, infringing on the military training area utilized by Air Force and Navy aircraft. A vocal opponent of the new drilling rule, Sen. Bill Nelson (D-Fla.), says he opposes the 25-mile rule and a new proposal for a 150-mile buffer that would still “cut 84 miles” off the military range.
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…