The Air Force could get an additional 963 military personnel above the end strength of 329,563 proposed in the President’s 2008 budget request. This increase bears no relation to the planned growth of ground forces by 92,000 over the next five years; the Air Force is still crunching numbers to determine the effect of that boost. Instead, the House Armed Services Military Personnel Subcommittee indicated in its markup of the 2008 defense budget bill that the increase would restore medical slots USAF intends to covert from military to civilian. The committee heard testimony from beneficiaries and Surgeon Generals and received recommendations from the Independent Study Group that cited an “adverse impact on access and quality of care for beneficiaries” from these conversions, including those planned by the Navy, stated panel chairman Rep. Vic Snyder (D-Ark.).
Assistant Secretary of Defense for Space Policy John F. Plumb warned lawmakers that Russia is developing an “indiscriminate” nuclear weapon to go in space, confirming reports from several months ago and describing potentially devastating effects in orbit.