Air Force officials are sounding the alarm in Washington on a possible long-term continuing resolution, saying the avoidance of a budget deal would stop 60 new starts and upgrades on existing programs. Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James, in a Wednesday state of the Air Force briefing at the Pentagon, said a long-term continuing resolution would delay upgrades to aircraft such as the M-9 Reaper, B-2, and B-52, among others. A continuing resolution would fund the Air Force at $1.3 billion less than the amount it requested, which would limit KC-46A production at 12, instead of 15 aircraft, cap the B-21 bomber program at Fiscal 2016 levels, and limit the production of joint direct attack munitions at Fiscal 2016 levels, a move that is “unacceptable in light of current operations” against ISIS, James said. (See also: Readiness Shortfalls.)
The use of a military counter-drone laser on the southwest border this week—which prompted the Federal Aviation Administration to abruptly close the airspace over El Paso, Texas—will be a “case study” on the complex web of authorities needed to employ such weapons near civilian areas and the consequences of agencies…
