Another Congressional delegation has its eye on the F-35 prize, with the News Miner reporting Oct. 23 that Sen. Mark Begich (D), Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R), and Rep. Don Young (R) sent a letter earlier this month to Air Force Secretary Michael Donley that cited Eielson as the “perfect base geographically” with its expansive airspace. (The Arizona delegation also penned a letter to Donley, noting that the Goldwater range at Luke made it a prime candidate.) Alaska’s Young asserted in a statement to the newspaper, “Eielson is the best place for the F-35s, and I hope the Department of Defense can recognize that.” Last year, Eielson supporters believed the base was on a short list for the F-35, but the Air Force appeared to start over when it announced its new plan last month to whittle down potential sites.
The "Air Force One" replacement will be two to three years late due to pandemic issues, testing, and the loss of a subcontractor on the interior, USAF officials reported at a House Armed Services Committee hearing. They were also warned that some HASC members will insist on a competition of…