The Senate Appropriations Committee on Aug. 2 passed its version of the Fiscal 2013 defense spending bill by a vote of 30 to zero, announced the committee. This clears the way for the full Senate to take up the legislation. The committee adopted the July 31 mark-up of its defense panel that met the President’s spending request by providing $604.5 billion for the Pentagon next fiscal year. That total includes $511.2 billion for the Pentagon’s base activities and $93.3 billion to fund the war in Afghanistan and other overseas contingency operations, according to the committee’s bill summary. Of note, the bill retains the defense panel’s language that calls on the Air Force to take a “strategic pause” in making force structure adjustments next fiscal year.
Air Force Conducts Test Launch of Minuteman III ICBM
May 21, 2025
The Air Force test-launches unarmed Minuteman III ICBM from Vandenberg Space Force Base, Calif. at 12:01 a.m. Pacific Time on May. 21. The successful test saw the missile equipped with a single reentry vehicle traveling more than 4,200 miles at over 15,000 mph to strike a designated test site near…