Talent Protests 2007 DOD Cut: Missouri Senator Jim Talent (R) has been leading a charge to restore the planned buy of C-17 airlifters from 180 to 222. Now, he tells the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that he has learned of internal memos that show the White House wants to cut $7.5 billion from the Fiscal 2007 defense budget—and that is “irresponsible.” Talent claims the White House told him the 2007 budget would be about $443 billion, but now, he says, that number is being cut without any objective military analysis. Our question is: Is this in addition to the purported $32 billion cut across 2007-11? In fact, the Talent-revealed number for 2007 would be lower than the $15 billion figure for 2007 alone that surfaced earlier this year.
As Air Force leaders consider concepts of operations for Collaborative Combat Aircraft, sustainment in the field—and easing that support by using standard parts and limiting variants—should be a key consideration, according to a new study from AFA's Mitchell Institute of Aerospace Studies.