The top National Guard Bureau officers have left or will soon retire, and to date no nominations for their replacements have been confirmed by the Senate.
The Pentagon is struggling to control costs associated with sustaining its weapons systems. For the Lockheed Martin-made F-35 jet, sustainment costs are on track to become so expensive that the Air Force will either have to cut its planned buy or flying hours, the the Government Accountability Office found.
President Joe Biden met virtually on Monday with the chief executive of Lockheed Martin and other companies to spur forward a bill to boost semiconductor production in the United States.
The announcement reverses a more permissive stance by then-President Donald Trump, and it concludes a review that has lasted for more than a year. Bonnie Jenkins, the State Department’s undersecretary for arms control and international security, said the new policy fulfills “a commitment that President Biden made as a candidate,” when he described Trump’s decision as “reckless.”
The White House has formally asked Congress for $32.5 billion pandemic relief and “critical assistance” to help Ukraine fight off a Russian invasion, with $4.8 billion for the Pentagon, as part of an updated supplemental spending request.