Rep. Peter Visclosky (D-Ind.) at the House Appropriations Defense Subcommittee hearing on Feb. 16, pursued the attack. He wanted to know whether Defense Secretary Rumsfeld had weighed his determination that canceling the alternate F-35 engine would provide “minimal risk today” against the impact over the life of the Joint Strike Fighter program. Rumsfeld’s reply: “I was not stating my personal firsthand knowledge. … It was the studies that were made by the senior civilian and military in the department and that was their conclusion.” So, if it doesn’t work out, then no one should blame Rumsfeld. Ahhhh.
A B-52H bomber launched a simulated AGM-183 Air-launched Rapid Response hypersonic missile at a target some 600 miles away during the ongoing Northern Edge exercise in Alaska, the Air Force said. The simulated shot was a success and demonstrated Airborne Battle Management System techniques to facilitate the kill chain for…