The Air Force plan to open more airspace over Utah and Nevada to expand the training area for aircraft predominantly flying out of Hill Air Force Base in Utah has met with continued resistance from environmentalists, civil pilots, and area residents. The Salt Lake Tribune reports that opponents to the plan say the Air Force has failed to make its case for the extra airspace. The service earlier downsized its plan, and officials thought it would be on safer ground. The newspaper reports that a coalition of groups and individuals in opposition, now known as the Rural Alliance for Military Accountability, sent a letter to the Air Force decrying the environmental impact statement on the initiative as “fatally flawed” and “deceptive.” The alliance believes the service has underestimated the noise level from supersonic flights among other issues.
House, Senate Unveil Competing Proposals for 2026 Budget
July 11, 2025
Lawmakers from the House and Senate laid out competing versions of the annual defense policy bill on July 11, with vastly different potential outcomes for some of the Air Force’s most embattled programs.