GOP lawmakers immediately blasted the President’s plan to close the detention center at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, saying it neglects to provide enough details on where to transfer detainees inside the United States. Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) said in a statement the President’s plan is a “vague menu of options” and doesn’t attempt to answer the hardest question of where to put the most dangerous detainees. McCain promised a series of hearings on the proposal, while House Armed Services Committee Chairman Rep. Mac Thornberry (R-Texas) said his committee will give it a fair hearing even though he said the plan appears to be “more about an attempt to fulfill a campaign promise instead of a concrete plan. Sen. Mark Kirk (R-Ill.), chairman of the Senate Appropriations subcommittee on military construction, said in a statement the plan will be blocked in Congress and he would work to disallow any transfer of the detainees to the US? Democratic lawmakers, such as Senate Armed Services Committee ranking member Jack Reed (D-R.I.), say the plan is responsible and deserves careful consideration.
U.S. Air Force F-15C Eagles have roared out of Barnes Air National Guard Base, Mass., for the last time. The 104th Fighter Wing’s last three F-15Cs departed the base Oct. 23 for the “Boneyard” at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Ariz., ending the aircraft's era on the frontlines of homeland defense.
