In his opening remarks before the Senate Armed Services Committee Jan. 27, Defense Secretary Robert Gates promised to make hard choices on major weapons programs, prompting inevitable questions on certain big ticket programs. Sen. Saxby Chambliss (R-Ga.), the Senate’s most ardent champion of the F-22, said that the “hard choices” Gates mentioned “directly implicate that program, the C-17, the [KC-X] tanker program, and others.” That concerns Chambliss because “from a stimulus standpoint, we are wrestling with an issue entirely outside the Pentagon.” Using the F-22 as an example, but he said the same would apply to other programs, he noted that the shutdown of the Raptor line would spell the loss of 95,000 jobs on top of the economy’s current woes. As far as stimulating the economy, Chambliss argued, “There’s no better place to do it than in defense spending.” However, Gates made clear in response to an earlier question from Sen. James Inhofe (R-Okla.) about whether the Secretary remained committed to full fielding of the Army’s Future Combat Systems, that he would scrutinize all major programs. He said, “I don’t think anything is off the table at this point.”
US Space Command Should Always Be Led by a Guardian
Sept. 12, 2026
General Stephen Whiting took command of U.S. Space Command in January 2024, and if customary three-year tenures hold, his tour would end in January 2027. The question now before the President and Senate is who should follow him? Whoever they choose, it has to be a Guardian—and so should every successor…
