The House Armed Services Committee will begin marking up its version of the Fiscal 2014 defense authorization bill on May 22, announced committee Chairman Rep. Buck McKeon (R-Calif.). The intelligence, emerging threats and capabilities panel; military personnel panel; seapower and projection forces panel; and strategic forces panel will convene on that day for their respective marks-ups, states McKeon’s April 25 release. On the following day, May 23, the readiness panel and the tactical air and land forces panel will meet. The full committee mark-up is scheduled for June 5. The HASC will post its marks and bill-related information at this webpage, according to the release.
The Air Force's new Aircraft Readiness Unit will maintain and provide Collaborative Combat Aircraft for operations, but won’t serve as a “schoolhouse” teaching fighter pilots how to manage these escort drones.