The Air Force sharply reduced the scope of its planned military construction activities in Fiscal 2013 compared to this fiscal year, but anticipates that it will ramp up construction work again starting in Fiscal 2014, said Terry Yonkers, the service’s assistant secretary for installations, environment, and logistics. Yonkers told the Senate Appropriations Committee’ military construction panel on Wednesday that the Air Force’s $442 million request for milcon in Fiscal 2013 would cover only “most critical facility requirements and most urgent facility modifications,” such as bedding down new weapon systems like the F-35 strike fighter and MQ-9 remotely piloted aircraft and expanding the infrastructure at Minot AFB, N.D., to support the service’s newest B-52 squadron. However, in the following years, “we are going to be returning to a more robust military construction program,” said Yonkers. He said the service expects to seek $1.5 billion for milcon in Fiscal 2014, the same in Fiscal 2015, and nearly $2 billion in Fiscal 2016.
The U.S. thwarted a drone attack on U.S. forces at Al Asad air base in western Iraq on April 22, marking the first time that American troops have been targeted since February, U.S. officials said. “We can confirm it was an attack on Al Asad,” a defense official told Air & Space…