A member of the famed World War II Flying Tigers, John Richard Rossi died April 17 of complications from pneumonia at age 92, according to an April 28 report in the Los Angeles Times. Rossi joined the Navy in 1939, earning wings in 1940 and serving as a flight instructor. He resigned his commission and signed up for the American Volunteer Group in China, reportedly downing six Japanese aircraft.
The emphasis on speed in the Pentagon’s newly unveiled slate of acquisition reforms may come with increased near-term cost increases, analysts say. But according to U.S. defense officials, the new weapons-buying construct provides the military with enough flexibility to prevent runaway budget overruns in major programs.
