Pull Up, Pull Up: Congress must act to prevent the sequestration demanded by the 2011 Budget Control Act, Air Force Secretary Michael B. Donley said Monday. In his keynote address to AFA’s Air & Space Conference, Donley said sequestration will inflict an “arbitrary” cut of $55 billion on defense which will have destructive consequences for people as well as programs, hitting hard at the civilian workforce and “our investment portfolio.” The sequestration is avoidable, Donley said; it is “under our control” as a nation to prevent it. Allowing the sequestration to happen is “not a responsible way to achieve deficit reduction,” Donley said. “We need Congress to de-trigger” the sequester, he asserted.
The Space Development Agency says it’s on track to issue its next batch of missile warning and tracking satellite contracts this month after those awards were delayed by the Pentagon’s decision to divert funds from the agency to pay troops during this fall’s prolonged government shutdown.

