The House passed the Fiscal 2015 military construction and veterans affairs appropriations bill last week with a vote of 416-1. The $71.5 billion bill is $1.8 billion below Fiscal 2014 levels, states an April 30 House Appropriations Committee release. It reduces military construction funding by $3.3 billion and increases funding for veterans programs by $1.5 billion. The bill provides $719.551 million for Air Force construction projects, including $94.663 million for the Air National Guard and $49.492 million for the Air Force Reserve. “I applaud the passage of this extremely important, bipartisan legislation for our troops and vets. This bill will provide the men and women of our armed forces with the quality of life and resources that they need during their service, and meets our commitments to our veterans—ensuring that in exchange for their service and sacrifice, we will take care of their health and well-being,” said HAC Chairman Rep. Harold Rogers (R-Ky.).
The U.S. thwarted a drone attack on U.S. forces at Al Asad air base in western Iraq on April 22, marking the first time that American troops have been targeted since February, U.S. officials said. “We can confirm it was an attack on Al Asad,” a defense official told Air & Space…