More than 20 lawmakers on Monday urged President Trump to approve sales of armed drones to Jordan and the United Arab Emirates both to help in the ISIS fight and counter Chinese influence. The purchase of the MQ-9 Reapers would preserve thousands of US jobs, along with increasing the ability of the allied nations to assist in counter terror operations in the Middle East, according to the letter, which was signed by 20 Republican and two Democratic lawmakers.
A new report from the Government Accountability Office calls for the Pentagon’s Chief Technology Officer to have budget certification authority over the military services’ research and development accounts—a move the services say would add a burdensome and unnecessary layer of bureaucracy.
