Chief of Staff Gen. Norton Schwartz hopes the Long Range Strike aircraft will be defined and budgeted in the 2012 budget. Speaking with reporters Tuesday, Schwartz said the program still needs to receive “the approval and buy-in” of Pentagon leadership, but “hopefully in this budget cycle we can arrive at a conclusion.” Still to be decided is the “substance of the effort [and] what is its timing.” Schwartz had previously told the Daily Report that the debate is “raging” in the Pentagon about the airplane, and that a quick conclusion isn’t likely.
U.S. Space Command leaders expressed support in recent weeks for contributions to the combatant command from all the military branches as they build space expertise and integrate it into their operations, amid a debate over how to balance the roles of the Space Force and other services’ space capabilities.