Daily Report

More Realistic: Defense Secretary Robert Gates acknowledged Wednesday on Capitol Hill that the F-35 program office was “too optimistic” in its cost and schedule estimates for strike fighter program, leading to a sweeping restructure reflected in the Pentagon’s Fiscal 2011...

Defense Secretary Robert Gates on Wednesday laid down the same line in the sand as he did on Monday at the Pentagon and on Tuesday before the Senate Armed Services Committee, telling House lawmakers that he would “strongly recommend” that...

In a renewed effort to end the F-35 strike fighter alternate engine program (see Nonstealthy Maneuver, above), Defense Secretary Robert Gates offered a somewhat different argument against the F136 engine. He told House lawmakers Wednesday that spending extra billions to...

A settlement reached Tuesday is expected to stop the construction of new single-family homes near Luke AFB, Ariz., and, in the process, remove one factor potentially detracting from the base’s allure as a home to future F-35 strike fighter training....

Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Adm. Mike Mullen, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told members of the House Armed Services Committee Wednesday that the Pentagon is still developing its strategy for joint personnel recovery. “We’re not there yet,”...

Defense Secretary Robert Gates has made it no secret that he is rebalancing the Pentagon’s budget and policy to address better the current wars and future irregular conflicts. Along those lines, the 2010 Quadrennial Defense Review shows that the Air...

The new Quadrennial Defense Review discusses not only security assistance reform in the Air Force’s general purpose ranks, but also outlines bolstering Air Force Special Operations Command’s training mission with partner aviation forces. The Defense Department currently meets half of...

The Air Force, together with the Navy, intends to pursue a new cruise missile design starting in Fiscal 2011 that has “standoff capability critical to nuclear deterrence,” according to USAF budget officials. It is a potential replacement to the aging...

Kandahar Rigging for Surge: A C-130J transport operating with the 772nd Expeditionary Airlift Squadron (activated last winter) from Kandahar Airfield, Afghanistan, on Jan. 27 dropped 56 containerized delivery systems full of supplies over three different drop zones within that nation,...

The Pentagon expects the US will go at least 10 years without producing any bombers or strategic lift aircraft, according to an “Aircraft Investment Plan – Fiscal Years 2011-2040,” provided to Congress yesterday along with fiscal 2011 budget materials. Tankers...

Air Sorties in Southwest Asia, Jan. 30-31, 2010 Sortie Type OIF OEF OIF/OEF Total YTD ISR 50 65 115 1,757 CAS/Armed Recon 38 146 184 2,753 Airlift 320 320 4,908 Air refueling 81 81 1,297 Total 700 10,715 OIF=Operation Iraqi...