President Bush has announced his intention to nominate Michael Donley to be the next Air Force Secretary and has indicated Donley would serve as Acting Secretary, according to a White House release. Defense Secretary Robert Gates had recommended him to the President to replace Michael Wynne, who along with Chief of Staff Gen. Michael Moseley, tendered his resignation on June 5. Gates asked the President to make Donley Acting Secretary, effective June 21, to have him in place during the Senate confirmation process. As of June 11, Bush had not yet nominated Gen. Norton Schwartz, whom Gates has recommended as Moseley’s replacement. There has been no word on Moseley’s departure date, other than that it will come no later than Aug 1. Moseley issued a letter to airmen yesterday (but dated June 10), thanking them for their service and sacrifices. He said it has been his “highest honor” to serve in the Air Force for 37 years and describing his time as Chief of Staff as his “most rewarding experience.” He reiterated how he takes full responsibility for any “lapses in the control of nuclear-related assets” and any fallout that tarnished USAF’s reputation and the trust that the nation places in the service.
Some lawmakers in the Senate are advocating for a more bipartisan approach to paying for the Pentagon’s $185 billion Golden Dome missile defense project, arguing that the effort’s goal of bolstering homeland defenses has support across ideological lines but the process for funding it has been politically charged—leaving the program’s…