The Senate Armed Services Committee is scheduled to mark up the Senate’s version of the Fiscal 2012 defense authorization bill this week in closed sessions. Members will begin the process on Tuesday when the subcommittees on airland, strategic forces, seapower, readiness and management support, and personnel convene one after the other in that order to discuss the bill. On Wednesday, the emerging threats and capabilities panel will act, rounding out the subcommittee mark-ups. Later that same day, the full committee will begin making its marks. The committee intends to complete the mark-up on Thursday, but has allotted time on Friday, if necessary. Last month, the House passed its version of the bill, authorizing $690 billion—about $1 billion more than President Obama’s request—for the Pentagon’s base activities, overseas contingency operations, and the Energy Department’s national security activities.
When the Air Force sets a new program baseline for the B-52 re-engining this fall, there will be “some” cost increase, because the project wasn't previously fully funded, and the Air Force has a better handle on actual supplier costs and knowledge from ground testing, program officials said.