Both the House and Senate hurriedly passed the 2007 defense authorization bill, approving, as in the just-signed-into-law appropriations measure, the Air Force’s multiyear procurement plan for 60 F-22A Raptors over the next three years. Lawmakers have asked for a new independent analysis of MYP cost and certification by the Secretary of Defense that USAF has met all MYP criteria required by law.
Secretary of Defense Austin Lloyd III met with his counterparts from Australia, Japan and the Philippines to discuss bolstering defense ties on May 2. The discussion included plans for joint F-35 exercises with Japan and Australia in the coming years.