Rep. Adam Smith (D-Wash.) will be the ranking member of the House Armed Services Committee when the 112th Congress convenes in January, Rep. Ike Skelton (D-Mo.), outgoing committee chairman, announced last week. Smith has overseen the HASC air and land forces subcommittee during the 111th Congress. He moves into the top minority spot since several of the longest-serving Democrat committee members, like Skelton, Rep. John Spratt (S.C.), and Rep. Gene Taylor (Miss.), aren’t returning after losing their re-lection bids. In related news, HASC Chairman-elect Rep. Buck McKeon (R-Calif.) announced the names of the new Republican committee members for the 112th: Rep. Mo Brooks (Ala.), Rep. Chris Gibson (N.Y.), Rep. Tim Griffin (Ark.), Rep. Vicky Hartzler (Mo.), Rep. Steve Palazzo (Miss.), Rep. Scott Rigell (Va.), Rep. Martha Roby (Ala.), Rep. Jon Runyan (N.J.), Rep. Bobby Schilling (Ill.), Rep. Austin Scott (Ga.), Allen West (Fla.), and Todd Young (Ind.).
Air Force Eyes New-Build F-16s to Boost Fighter Force
Sept. 16, 2026
The Air Force will consider acquiring new F-16 Fighting Falcon jets to answer capacity shortfalls in its aging fighter fleet, according to multiple people familiar with the matter. These discussions are happening as the Air Force is building its proposed fiscal 2028 budget and the five-year spending plan that goes…
