The House of Representatives on Friday morning approved a waiver to allow retired Marine Corps Gen. James Mattis to be considered for confirmation as Secretary of Defense. The measure passed on a near-party-line vote of 268-151. On Thursday, the transition team of President-elect Donald Trump withdrew the nominee from a House Armed Services Committee hearing, where Mattis had been scheduled to testify on the principle of civilian control of the military, angering House Democrats, according to The Washington Post. Federal law requires anyone who serves as Secretary of Defense be separated from Active Duty for at least seven years. Mattis retired in 2013, so a waiver is necessary before he can be confirmed. The waiver for the Mattis nomination, which was approved by the Senate Thursday, will now move forward for President Barack Obama’s signature.
The Air Force is leaning toward a less-sophisticated autonomous aircraft in the second increment of the Collaborative Combat Aircraft, the services chief futurist said. He also suggested that the next increment of CCA may be air-launched, a la the "Rapid Dragon" experiments conducted by the service in recent years.