Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-Calif.), chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, wants to attach an amendment to the 2007 defense authorization bill that would turn Santa Rosa Island—in California’s Channel Islands National Park—into a DOD installation for military recreation and training. The Los Angeles Times reports that Hunter tried to work this issue last spring with little success.
The U.S. supports “a stronger and more capable” European defense, Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III said during an Oct. 22 press conference in Brussels—but that defense should not duplicate the functions and capabilities of the NATO alliance.