A bipartisan group of Senators—led by Democrat Kent Conrad of North Dakota—sent a letter Wednesday to Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, reminding him that the Nuclear Posture Review set the year 2020 as the earliest the nation should consider giving up its fleet of 500 Minuteman III ICBMs. This is just in case the Rumsfeld Quadrennial Defense Review crowd casts a budget trimming eye in that direction under what the Senate ICBM Coalition calls “the rubric of ‘tailorable deterrence.’ ” The Senators express concern that the Pentagon may be “setting us on a dangerous road to dismantling the nuclear triad.”

A new Congressional Research Service brief—“Air Force Aerial Refueling”—says that with the Boeing 767 tanker lease deal kaput, there are several options under consideration, including one advocated by the “influential” Defense Science Board that “may be gaining traction within the...

It’s been four years since then-private citizen Donald Rumsfeld chaired the blue ribbon “Space Commission” that took DOD to task for not adequately developing a well-educated corps of professional military space personnel. Now, the GAO says, in a new report...

Finger pointing was the order of the day on Capitol Hill Wednesday, as Senators on both sides of the aisle charged DOD with obstruction of the Able Danger investigation. (DR, 9/22/05) The only DOD testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee...

The Senate Judiciary Committee had as its star witness Rep. Curt Weldon (R-Pa.), who has been key in helping to remove the shroud covering the Able Danger data-mining enterprise. During his testimony, Weldon shared some of his experiences (read his...

The Air Force said that 1st Lt. Sarah Small, 25, of Herndon, Va., was killed in a motor vehicle accident Sept. 19 while she was participating in Bright Star 2005 in Egypt. Two noncommissioned officers also in the vehicle were...

Veterans’ medical care got a big budget boost, thanks to a unanimous Senate vote, approving an increase of $4 billion to the VA’s Fiscal 2006 budget. The boost should cure the shortfall the VA says it identified after turning in...

Stop—No Travel to Texas Navy Sites or Keesler: The Air Force has told airmen destined for NAS Corpus Christi, NAS Kingsville, and Naval Station Ingleside to stay where they are until Hurricane Rita dissipates over land. The same goes for...

To prepare for the arrival of Hurricane Rita, the Air Force is moving aircraft out of the projected path of the storm and moving personnel into readiness positions to respond after landfall, service officials said. Sixteen F-16s and one C-26...

Speaking at a luncheon for the National Defense Industrial Association Wednesday, Kenneth Krieg, the Pentagon’s chief of acquisition, technology, and logistics, asked the industry crowd how the nation will “balance” the equation of growing demand on the military vs. “challenged,...

Responding to questions after his speech, Krieg said he welcomes a Congressional review of the Pentagon’s long-term needs, saying he hopes the study leads to a “very spirited debate about choice.” The Congress-led shadow of DOD’s QDR is being organized...

Hunter and Skelton announced leaders of the panel that will conduct the first phase of the House Armed Services Committee’s QDR-like review. Running the “Threat Panel” will be Rep. Ellen Tauscher (D-Calif.) and Rep. Michael Turner (R-Ohio). The panel will...

The Missile Defense Agency and Boeing installed the ninth Ground Based Midcourse Defense program interceptor in its underground silo at Ft. Greeley, Alaska, on Sept. 18. That makes seven for Alaska and two at Vandenberg AFB, Calif. Now, if they...

Marine Corps Maj. Gen. Timothy F. Ghormley, commander of the Combined Joint Task Force Horn of Africa, may not be overseeing a “direct action” force now, but that doesn’t mean the 1,400 airmen, marines, soldiers, and sailors under his leadership...

In a move that might restart enthusiasm for the planned United Launch Alliance, Boeing and Lockheed Martin announced Wednesday that they have withdrawn their anti-trust filing with the Federal Trade Commission, but they plan to re-file later this week. That...

Obviously the “never-give-up-our-nukes” declaration of the Iranian President convinced the European Union, which joined with the United States in urging the International Atomic Energy Agency to report Iran to the UN Security Council for treaty violations. (DR, 9/22/05) Australia, Canada,...

The tech heads with the Air Force Research Laboratory, headquartered at Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio, are busy developing a new integrated oxygen sensor—one that helps reduce the risk of explosions caused by fuel tank fires. A process called “fuel tank inerting”—essentially...

Seek Help Closer: The Senate Committee on Veterans Affairs last week approved the “Veterans Health Care Act of 2005,” a bill sponsored by Republican Sen. Larry Craig of Idaho. Among other things, this measure will let the VA reimburse veterans...

The American University’s School of Public Affairs released its “Best Places to Work” survey—a comprehensive ranking of federal government organizations based on the Office of Personnel Management’s Federal Human Capital Survey of 150,000 executive branch employees. The best place, according...

Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) got part of his Military Family Bill of Rights legislation in the Senate’s just passed emergency tax relief measure for persons affected by Hurricane Katrina. Kerry’s provision offers tax relief to employers of members of the...

At Pease ANGB, N.H., Rep. John Boozman (R-Ark.) on Sept. 19 guided a House Committee on Veterans Affairs field hearing to see how New Hampshire handles transitioning Guardsmen from active duty back to civilian life. The New Hampshire National Guard...

September 21, 2005 Sortie Type OIF OEF OIF/OEF Total ISR 9 8 – 17 CAS/Armed Recon 52 20 – 72 Airlift – – 160 160 Air refueling – – 37 37 Total 61 28 197 286 OIF=Operation Iraqi Freedom OEF=Operation...