The Administration again stepped on Congressional toes when it opted not to let lawmakers know early about a planned sale of 36 F-16s to Pakistan. The Administration must give Congress 30 days in which to review the sale, but it is customary to add on another 20 days of pre-formal notification. According to the Congressional newspaper, The Hill, the Pakistan deal frustrates lawmakers on two levels: the abbreviated process and the potential for Pakistan to leak US technology to China. Reuters news service obtained a copy of a letter in which US Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice has assured lawmakers that Pakistan will sign up to necessary security commitments. That’s one down.
Snapshot: DOD and COVID-19
Sept. 20, 2020
Here's a look at how the Defense Department is being impacted by and responding to the COVID-19 pandemic.