Defense Secretary Robert Gates told Air Force Academy cadets that he doesn’t foresee any more major weapons program cancellations happening in the next year or two. “I think we’re in pretty good place right now because of the measures that we’ve taken over the last couple of years, ” he said in response to a cadet’s question following his address last week in Colorado Springs. He added. “But we’ll just have to see how serious the budget situation gets.” Gates said the Pentagon has “done a good job of imposing some discipline internally” to cut or curtail redundant and non-performing acquisition projects. Of the 33 major programmatic changes that he proposed to Congress in 2009, DOD has been able to implement 32 so far, he said. Other than the proposed termination of the Marine Corps Expeditionary Fighting Vehicle in Fiscal 2012, only the F136 engine’s fate remains unresolved, he said. (Gates transcript)
In a show force over the Pacific, the U.S. conducted separate bilateral exercises with South Korea and Japan in response to North Korea’s May 24 ballistic missile test. The North’s test reportedly included an intercontinental ballistic missile, launched while President Joe Biden flew home from the region. Also on May…