California Senators Barbara Boxer (D) and Diane Feinstein (D) have urged the Senate Armed Services Committee leadership to support keeping the MC-12 Liberty fleet in the Air Force, and not disrupt the process under way to bed these aircraft down at Beale Air Force Base in their home state. The Senate’s draft version of the Fiscal 2012 defense authorization bill includes language that would transfer ownership of the MC-12s to the Army. “We urge you to support removing this provision when the legislation reaches the Senate floor,” write Boxer and Feinstein in their letter to Sen. Carl Levin (D-Mich.), SASC chairman, and Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), ranking member. “We can think of no reason why the Air Force cannot continue to support the intelligence needs of their sister services with the Liberty,” states the senators’ July 29 missive. The House’s version of the bill does not include any similar language.
Secretary of Defense Austin Lloyd III met with his counterparts from Australia, Japan and the Philippines to discuss bolstering defense ties on May 2. The discussion included plans for joint F-35 exercises with Japan and Australia in the coming years.