Defense 
Secretary Leon Panetta and Canadian Defense Minister Peter MacKay reaffirmed their nations’ commitment to the F-35 strike fighter program. “Let me make very clear that the United States is committed to the development of the F-35 and to a cooperative relationship with the F-35 with our Canadian friends,” stated Panetta during a joint press briefing with MacKay on Nov. 18 during Panetta’s visit to Halifax, Canada. “This program is going ahead,” said MacKay in response to questions about whether Canada can afford the F-35. “Clearly, budgetary pressures are going to lead to speculation. We are dealing with our budgets, as all countries are dealing with [their] budget, but we are not wavering on our commitment to this program.” Panetta also said it’s “just not true” that the United States is unhappy with the size of Canada’s proposed F-35 buy—65 airplanes. “I trust the ability of Canada and [Defense Minister MacKay] to make the right decisions as to what they need, and we’ll support that,” he said. (Panetta-MacKay transcript)
If the Air Force is in line for a big budget bump from President Donald Trump’s proposed $1.5 trillion defense budget in 2027, the head of Air Combat Command said he would make aircraft spare parts his top spending priority—but cautioned that more money to buy parts won’t equal a…
