Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-Calif.) declares that the Pentagon’s QDR “has become a budget-driven exercise, which limits its utility to Congress.” Hunter, chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, is leading a charge to separate what the Pentagon needs to address threats as opposed to what it can afford. He says, the “Committee Defense Review” he began last year, taken in conjunction with the QDR, will provide “a more complete picture of America’s national security needs.”
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…