Rep. Buck McKeon (R-Calif.), incoming House Armed Services Committee chairman, has announced the Republican members who will preside over the HASC subcommittees during the new Congress that convenes on Wednesday. They are: air and land forces, Rep. Roscoe Bartlett (Md.); military personnel, Rep. Joe Wilson (S.C.); oversight and investigations, Rep. Rob Wittman (Va.); readiness, Rep. Randy Forbes (Va.); seapower and expeditionary forces, Rep. Todd Akin (Mo.); strategic forces, Rep. Michael Turner (Ohio); and terrorism, unconventional threats, and capabilities, Rep. Mac Thornberry (Tex.). “Each member brings a wealth of experience and a tremendous knowledge base to the jurisdiction and interests of their respective subcommittees,” stated McKeon in a release. As is the normal practice, members of the full committee will ratify the subcommittee structure and jurisdictions during an organizational meeting this month.
When an E-3 Sentry battle management aircraft was damaged in an Iranian attack on Prince Sultan Air Base, Saudi Arabia, it sparked a host of questions about one of the Air Force’s oldest, smallest, but most critical fleets. Experts say the service doesn’t have many options to answer those questions.