The House Armed Services Committee push for a roles and missions review also would require DOD to identify each service’s core competencies and provide justification for any duplication of capabilities. In his opening remarks at the committee’s markup of the 2008 defense authorization bill, Chairman Ike Skelton (D-Mo.) acknowledged, “I look at some of the duplication among the services or at some of the things that each service has gotten into by necessity or chance, and it just doesn’t make sense.” He said his committee wants to help DOD “use each part of the military’s strength to best advantage,” and added that “we must use every penny wisely.” The committee wants DOD to complete a comprehensive assessment of roles and missions every four years, beginning in 2008. And, the committee wants DOD to identify core competencies by early next year and perform a review of capabilities, justifying any duplication, by June 1, 2009.
A solid-fuel-powered ramjet missile—a joint venture of the U.S. and Norway—passed a number of tests in August that included achieving speeds in excess of Mach 2 and increasing range, the Pentagon revealed. The technology could be applied to a new kind of hypersonic propulsion, as well. The Tactical High-speed Offensive…