Rep. John Murtha (D-Pa.), head of the defense appropriations subcommittee, believes that Congress will include 10 additional C-17s in the Fiscal 2010 defense spending bill, but he wants Boeing to trim the expected per aircraft price tag, reports CongressDaily. Murtha thinks Boeing should trim about $25 million per aircraft, harking back to the last multiyear procurement figure of $200 million per copy. CongressDaily report also noted that Murtha believes the final bill will include funding, as did the companion policy bill, for the General Electric-Rolls Royce F136 engine for the F-35. Unlike the “strongly objects” position on additional C-17s, the Administration has said the alternate engine might engage a veto, but CQ Today reports that the President Obama now may sign the policy bill with the F136 funding intact—waiting to kill it through the spending bill that will follow shortly.
Airmen and Guardians in the Active and Reserve component, as well as civilian employees, in “mission critical and high-risk populations” are now required to receive influenza vaccinations annually to “preserve force readiness,” according to a recent Department of the Air Force memo.