general mckinley, the air force's restructure plan suggests that reductions in air guard in personnel and aircraft ought to be undertaken. you describe in your testimony the enhanced use of guard forces that would provide capability in overseas missions. looking at our recent experience in libya, there were air force personnel and aircraft involved in the no-fly zone strategy. tell us what your impressions were of those who were engaged in that operation, what changes, if any, need to be made in terms of support for funding of different activities or equipment acquisition in light of those experiences. >> you rightfully point out, senator cochran, that the air force is uniquely positioned to utilize its reserve component effectively and efficiently for the entire period of time that i've been in the national guard, there's always been a close personal relationship between our active force and its guard and its reserve. that led to the capability that general wyatt may want to discuss a little more intimately involved in the tampger mission and the mission that inspired the no-fly zone

you're correct, the reason that i -- i applaud that move on behalf of the air force. it does bring the air national guard into the real vent aircraft of the future. it's something we've been pushing for for quite a long time many the air national guard. >> we know -- don't we we're going to get rid of the c 5 as. >> we are. >> why would we delay it a year? >> i hope we don't. that particular movement is one of the things in pb 13 that i think is in the best interest of the country and certainly the air force and the air national guard that we continue with that part of it. if the prohibition is to spend any fy 13 funds on fy 12 actions that need to be completed in 13, then the dilemma is exactly as you have expressed. it would cause us to go back and take a look at what is the cost of maintaining the c 5 as. is there appropriations in the 13 cr to do so if that's what we're going. it does cause us some uncertainty as we go forward. >> at a time when dollars are short and tight and many of your recommendations weren't able to be accepted, but you're saluting them made m

but with the investigation still under way, the air force put the plane back in the air last september, even though, as chief of staff general norton schwartz told congress, they still didn't know what was wrong. >> general norton schwartz: we have been unable to identify a single engineering fault... >> stahl: they didn't find the problem. they didn't find the cause, they didn't fix it and they sent the plane back up. >> wilson: and we were eager to go. we couldn't wait to get back in the air. >> stahl: well, wait a minute. they didn't find the problem? >> wilson: no, they didn't. >> stahl: why were you eager to go? >> wilson: because we're pilots. >> stahl: the air force justified the decision by giving pilots two new items to wear while flying, which were put on display at a recent news briefing. >> general charles lyon: this is a pulse oximeter. >> stahl: major general charles lyon is director of operations at the air force air combat command. >> lyon: the pilots fly with these. they're right on their arm. they look at them and they check them, and if there's any indication of an a

component of your air force. a ready force deployable within 72 hours. the reserve is able to do this, because of the depth of experience among our citizen airmen. our air force reserve personnel, most of whom come to us from the active force average seven years of additional experience over our active duty counter parts and mission capabilities rates reflect that every day. without a doubt, the reserve is uniquely positioned to retain the air force's vast investment in human capital and maintain a cost-effective hedge against unanticipated requirements. the reserve has experience from over 20 years of continuous operational engagement in both combat and humanitarian missions and we've balanced this ops tempo while maintaining our national critical strategic surge capability. our air force reserves exceeds as being operationally engaged and strategically prepared due to our focus on maintaining the right balance. the correct reserve guard and active force mix is adaptable to circumstances, and i believe today's fi

first time in 20 years that the air force did not fly an air tasking sortie over iraq. madam chairman, senator, i would like to point out that over two-thirds of our uniformed airmen have taken an oath to defend our nation and have joined our service during a time of war, during a time of continuous operation. and for that i couldn't be more proud to serve alongside these dedicated airmen and americans. these airmen are fully joined to the fight and consistently demonstrate their commitment to this joint team you see in front of you and in the support of our combatant commanders and our nation's interests. last year we saw this commitment at full capacity as our airmen simultaneously provided humanitarian support to our friends in japan, executed a large presidential airlift in south america, supported the nato no-fly zone to protect lives in libya, and all the while fully employed with counterinsurgency operations in iraq and afghanistan. our force capacity of the future may not support this high level of sustained simultaneous operations. hence i am immensely proud of

so obviously as the air force tries to do its part in reducing the deficit, i think the key is that as we go forward and we look at the number of required mpa days that would allow the air guard and the reserve to continue functioning, that we take a no kidding look at what are the requirements, what interest demands that the cocomms are telling us would be forward and what would be adequately budgeted for that rather than pick an arbitrary number and try to cut. >> general ingram, camp shelby, mississippi at hattiesburg has been a site for army guardsmen reservists, others to mobilize and be deployed to areas of need. what is your impression of the funding requests for that facility if there is money in there for any activities and programs there? and what needs exist that should be brought to our attention if they're not requested? >> senator cochran, camp shelby has been a very viable force projection platform for most of the war fight. there has been some improvements that have been made there. the army funds those improvements out of the base budget. and as we continue down the ro

i know army the took the air force position that they will support inner theater air lift. which is the mission that the c-23 and the c-27 airframe were designed to do. >> any ideas on how we can address domestic air lift? >> north come is in a recent discussion, the commander of the north command. he views looking at the homeland as a theater of operations. and i think his perspective will be very important in determining requirements for all ohm land defense or homeland operations the homeland being one of those parameters. >> mr. chairman, thank you. >> thank you very much. >> gentlemen, i thank you for your testimony early this morning and i thank you to our service to our nation. do you have further questions? >> no, mr. chairman. i have no further questions. i want to thank you for the leadership you're providing for armed forces. thank you very much. >> i will be submitted questioning. i ask for your response. and now the committee asked the generals to come forward. present your testimony. >> i thank you for joining us this morning. your full statements will be plac

the air force decided last fall to go ahead and fly the aircraft.me additional safety measures on. also they've given the pilots some more instrumentation in the cockpit. what they need to do now is fly and try to figure it out as they fly the aircraft. >> this aircraft has -- and the air force has always said a tremendous deurnt value because of its unique category and unique capabilities. does this give a black eye to that, does it undermine the f- 22's value? >> no in my opinion. it's a good question about the deteurns value, but the f-22 retains that strong deterrent value. for one thing, we're not on a wartime footing in the pacific theater, for example. believe me, if there were a need to have the f-22 up in combat, they would go right ahead and do it. these restrictions don't in any way destract >> rebecca, thanks very much. >>> coming up j7pi(ñnnext, wh troops crtsÑ-g;%=in afghanistan say about the war and their afghan allies >>> our next guest is one of the çft4vyÑocrack reporters th sister publication marine corps times. dan lamont is ju

under his watch the air force has reinvigorated its steward shcht nuclear enterprise, made important investments and capabilities needed for the future and excelled in a wide range of missions. from the operations over libya to supporting our ground forces in afghanistan, we've closed air support and isr. i greatly appreciate his counsel, his guidance, his friendship, and his dedication to the air force and to the united states of america. >> thanks, mr. secretary. >> good afternoon, everyone. on this day in 1775, a small force of green mountain boys led by ethan allen and benedict arnold successfully attacked the british garrison at a fort in new york. at the same time the second continental congress was assembled in philadelphia. their task was daunting. field and fund an army for a war that was already underway. as we sit here today, the 112th congress has its own daunting task. debate and decide on a defense budget with a war under way and with increasingly complex security challenges ahead. i appreciate the difficulty of the decisions they face. secretary panetta and i face them

but does the air force jet have a fatal flaw that killed this young pilot? an exclusive investigation. >>> plus, sweet "revenge." it seemed like a good idea at the time, but tonight, you be the judge. tonight, my acting debut on the hit show "revenge" and what it was like to play me. >> did you murder tyler barrel? >>> this is "nightline," may 2nd, 2012. >>> good evening. i'm cynthia mcfadden. tonight, the glossy world of fashion magazines where young girls can never be too thin or too flawless. what happens when real girls can't measure up to perfection? one expert says it can be more dangerous than drugs. abc's linsey davis brings husband one 14-year-old determined to change things. >> reporter: long legs, perfect skin and glossy hair. just exactly who looks like this? actually, nobody. never before have they been made to look so skinny, so air brushed, so perfect. and it turns out that can be dangerous. that is why 14-year-old julia traveled from maine to new york to lead protest. a mock photo shoot. >> we wanted to show "seven teen" we love our bodieses

there are some pressures as the air force tries to do its part in reducing the deficit. i think the key is that as we go forward and look at the number of required days that would allow the air guard and reserve to continue functioning, we take a look at what are the requirements and demands and then adequately budget for that, rather than just picking an arbitrary number and trying to cut. >> camp shelby in mississippi has been a site for army guardsmen reservists and others to mobilize and be deployed to areas of need. what is your impression of the funding requests for that facility, if there is money in their for any activities and programs there. what needs exist that should be brought to our attention if they are not requested? >> camp shelby has been a very viable production platform for most of the war fight. there have been some improvements made there. the army funds those improvements out of the base budget. as we continue down the road, i think the appropriate needs it will be met by the army budget for camp shelby and several other predominately army national

they're in the air force budget. i have ensured that there will remain sufficient funds and sufficient services to keep the 168th playing the vital role that it does. the decision to, whether to go from a 24-hour alert, which they're currently on, to something less than that, is a call that is left to general north pacaf in consultation with norad and north com. so i can't really get into the operational decisions, but my concern would be that we have in the future as comp teretent a w as we do now. and so i watch very closely any attempts that would diminish their able to perform the mission. i wish i had a better answer for you than that. >> perhaps let me rephrase it. if, in fact, you did have to go to am reduced operation, 12 hours, could you do the mission that you believe you have to do, that you're required to do there in the arctic, in the north pacific? >> again, the mission requirements are set by the war fighters. if they were to make that conclusion that the 12-hour alert would be sufficient for mission a

you are getting a good look at air force carrying president obama. it is an incredible sight. >> beautiful plane. they keep it in pres teen condition. what happens -- pristine condition here -- is there a possibility he might stop and greet the people who showed up to see him? the members of the public. >> reporter: i can tell you if i was in that crowd i would be hoping the president would come over. we know the presidential schedule is tight. 16 hours in the bay area. as you said, as we show you the motorcade is standing by. there might be a short meet and greet, you got to believe somebody is keeping the president on the clock tightly tonight. >> all the security and the traffic, as soon as they get off the plane, they meet and greet and then it is whisk away time. few people have to be, you know, inconvenienced as the security and the traffic and the motorcade makes its way to the home of lisa and doug goldman. >> how many reporters are with you? there are national reporters there as well? >> reporter: there may be. a lot of it is the local folks

i attribute that to the air force's 13-pd. it's had a more detrimental effect on our numbers than 20 years of high operational combat has had. so i think that uncertainty is beginning to take a toll on our people wondering about their futures and do we have time to invest in a unit that may not be here next year or may be changing to a mission that we don't know what that will be. >> thank you. if i could shift to ground vehicle. the humvee was mentioned in your opening statement. 60% 20 years old or more. what's the -- what is the take on what you need? i think you mentioned modernization. some have mentioned upgrading existing fleet. others say the cost -- it's more cost effective to just go to the more modernized vehicle. i'm not sure if general ingram, or you, general mckinley, is the best one to answer this. but that's the story on this? >> first of all, thanks for the question, senator. i'm in receipt of letters from 17age tanlts, generally in support of purchasing new humvees. i am the channel communication between the

air force. a ready force deployable within 72 hours. the reserve is able to do this because of the depth of experience. the personnel have come to us through the active force and have additional experience and our mission capability rates reflexiveness every day. without a doubt, the reserve is positioned to retain the massive investment in human capital and maintain a cost effective heads. the reserve has experience of over 20 years of operational engagement including this. our air force reserves succeed at being operationally engaged in the strategically prepared to do to our focus on maintaining the right balance. the correct reserve guard an active force mix is adaptable to circumstances. i believe be it requires more. the president and secretary of defense are clear about the need for reverse ability. the year reserve is leverage to make this happen. they can trust it will be there when called and equipped to the same standards. there are challenges to maintain. the air force reserve is for

but does the air force jet have a fatal flaw that killed this young pilot? an exclusive investigation. >>> plus, sweet "revenge." it seemed like a good idea at the time, but, well, you be the judge. tonight my acting debut on the hit show "revenge" and what it was really like playing -- me. did you murder tyler barrel? >> announcer: from the global resources of abc news with terry moran, cynthia mcfadden and bill weir in new york city, this is "nightline," may 2, 2012. >>> good evening. i'm cynthia mcfadden. tonight, the glossy world of fashion magazines where very young girls can never be too thin or too flawless. so what happens when real girls can't measure up to the manipulated measures of perfection? one expert says it can be more dangerous than drugs. abc's linsey davis brings us one 14-year-old girl determined to change things. >> reporter: long, lean legs, a teeny, tiny waist, perfect skin and glossy hair. just exactly who looks like this? actually, nobody. while models have always been made to look beautiful, never before have they been looked so sk

air forces in europe, where he is responsible for air force activities covering almost one-fifth of the globe, encompassing 51 countries in the atlantic and arctic oceans. he's a command pilot who's flown more than 3,400 hours during the course of his career, and he's got a distinguished record that includes multiple combat missions during operation desert storm. i had the opportunity to work closely with general welsh when i served as director of the cia and he served as an associate director of the cia for military affairs, a position where he functioned as a critical link between the military and intelligence communities. over the course of our time working together, i developed a deep appreciation for his wisdom and his counsel. a former air force academy commandant, i believe that he has the right leadership qualities and distinguished background to follow his extraordinary predecessor, general schwartz. i'll have the opportunity in coming months to pay a full and proper tribute to general schwartz, but let me just say that i believe norty has been a transformative leader in his ne

the air force reserve is a leverage to make this happen. they will be there when called, prepared paired, trained and equipped. we are forecasted to reduce by 900 personnel. however, that figure is just the proposed fy-13 president's budget and is the tip of the iceberg. the loss are in specialties still essential to the total force an aircraft maintainer with 17 years of experience cannot become a cyber warrior with 17 years of experience overnight. the air force is losing the capability of 5,000 to 6,000 experienced and trained personnel. the alternative to these losses once again is to focus on the correct balance to adjust all three components mix to maintain crucial capacity. globally fielded in small numbers and highly responsive. there should be a more ro bust reserve component as a projection force. we can support the president's reversability plan, contribute to the nation's economic recovery and ensure the security of our nation and its interest. mr. chairman, members of the committee, senator cochran, i am honored to have served

i would defer to the air force experts who know aircraft better than we do. but we do believe this is a unique issue for this particular air frame right now. >> again, this is an engineering problem that needs to be resolved and their working really hard to do exactly that. it doesn't take away from the importance of the -- of the platform of the aircraft, or the fact that we still bellevue, we still need it. it is a very powerful arab in the quiver that we want to keep being able to use. and that's why we are working so hard to try to fix this. at its core it's an engineering problem that needs to be solved. >> [inaudible] >> sure. 66 whether there was a link between the failure, if that is the right word, of the oxygen system, and some other aspect of the aircraft -- >> one is inextricably linked to the other. if it is, as i said, if it is just an oxygen system, you can just -- that's easy, but if it's linked to something else to do with the plane's versatility, that would be more serious, i would suppose. >> epoxy of -- hypoxia-like evens, mike? will again,

this mark also maintains strong funding for the air force bomber programs tankers and air lifters. there are other important provisions in this mark that are meant to maintain the greatest navy and long range air force the world has ever seen. i want to thank my friend, mr. forps for his work on the readiness subcommittee. we interfaced with the process of trying to get the additional submarine and additional destroyer and work through how those numbers are going to work from the readiness point of view. we have taken important steps towards insuring that we have the navy and air force we need to project power and keep peace through strength. as always i would like to thank mr. mcintire for working with me on this work and thank the staff for their fine work. i yield back. >> the chair now recognizes the ranking member of the subcommittee. the gentleman from north carolina, mr. mcintire for any comments he would like to make. >> the mark before the members today continues the strong bipartisan tradition of support for our men and women in uniform. i would like to thank the members

it is on air force base. air force base personnel participate in that effort. when you reduce down the force. the army is going to have to pick up a tab on this. i don't want to pitch to you in the middle of this. i look from a dod perspective. not a service perspective of savings. so is there a comprehen sieve cost analysis. if the answer is, yes. is it gross? in the sense of what it saves? or is it net in what it saves? i believe not the latter. it is a gross number. please. >> senator, as you know. we have talked a little bit about this with your staff. i think the -- the, turn tough the discussion or question is what you would call how detailed is that analysis? we did a detailed analysis to make the decision. i assure you it was not to the level that you are discussing now. and that is why as you know we have a varied team up there, made a much more deep impact, made a much more deep study of this. and, we will soon see that -- that next level of -- analysis, which you, which you asked for. as our chief has said, if after this next level of analysis, that

we believe that this is a very important capability for the afghan air force. they need this helicopter. it is very important to them. it complements their rotary wing aircraft capabilities. and we have no plans to cancel this procurement. >> the air force recently announced some disciplinary actions taken against officials who have been cited in osc report for retaliating against people at dover. is the secretary satisfied with the way the air force has handled this matter? >> thank you, jeff, for the question. the issues that dover port mortuary are issues that the secretary of defense, indeed the entire department, we never want to see them happen again. our fallen heroes deserve the highest honor and respect and we are committed to taking steps to ensure that lapses do not occur in the future. i would note that the osc issued a statement commending the air force for rendering its decisions on disciplinary actions. the air force has undertaken a very thorough and extensive process to review not just the lapses at dover but also the disciplinary actions that

thank you. >> how about the air force? >> we, too, have a robust program. are you hearing me? we, too, have a robust program, and we have worked very closely with our active component over the last couple of years as they have worked aggressively to downsize. the critical skills that we're short in are the ones that we're focusing on, and we have in-service recruiters that interview every single person that is leaving the active force and offer them the opportunity to continue to serve in those particular areas where we have the needs. we try to match the critical skills to where the needs are. we also offer cross-training to the folks that might be interested in continuing to participate in a different career field. just as importantly, i think the active force has used very significant tools to include voluntary early retirement and some of the other kinds of options to depart the active force, which does, in fact, put some folks into what general hummer mentioned in the irr. also we're working inside those irr members one a year at several locations targeting the skills we

air force academy. meanwhile, there are some concerning numbers for the president in a crucial swing state. a new florida poll shows since march, there's been a 13-point swing leaving him trailing in the state by 6%. right now, we are waiting for mitt romney to take the stage at the latino coalition's annual economic summit. john heilemann, talk about florida first. are you surprised by the flip in numbers in terms of support for the president in the state? >> no. i think if you think about the big swing states, the president's people are less confident about florida than some of the other ones, much more confident about virginia and ohio now because the economy in those states is growing and the dem graphic composition of virginia favors the president. florida is going to be a close race. the economy there just is still really not great and the housing situation, the foreclosure crisis there is still great. any state where the crisis is really bad, there's still a perception that the administration has

forces, the gentleman from texas, mr. reyes for any comments he would like the make. >> thank you, mr. chairman. the tactical air and land forces subcommittee has a long history of working in a bipartisan fashion to complete its portion of the chairman's mark for the national defense authorization act. i am happy to say that chairman bartlett has continued that tradition, and i echo his comments about the appreciation we feel for the staff on both sides of the aisle. we want to thank them for their hard work. first, the subcommittee's portion of the chairman's mark supports all the high priority acquisition programs in the president's budget. for example, the chairman's mark fully funds the army's ground combat vehicle program at $639 million. it provides $9 billion for the f-35 joint strike fighter program, provides $5.8 billion for the new army helicopters, uavs and other aviation platforms and upgrades, provides $3 billion for the 38 fa/18s and $1.6 billion for 21 v-22 ospreys. included is $2.2 billion for upgrading the army's tactical communications networks, providing $1.5 billion for u.s. marine corps equi

unfortunately, the air force and navy funded this same fsrm at 82 and 80% respectively. i'd like to hear from the air force and the navy what level of risk they are taking on as a result of these lower funding levels, and what steps they plan to take to avoid large bills down the road. finally, we have learned the department of defense will face at least a $1.3 billion bill as a result of the rise in fuel prices. this price increase has been exacerbated by the continued closure of the pakistan border, forcing supply convoys for our force in afghanistan to use the northern distribution network at an increased expense of about 38 million per month. given all of these challenges we face, we must strive to protect our readiness accounts, but we can also do a better job in managing funds like operation and maintenance. we can improve the execution rates and unobligated balances in these accounts in addition to our operational readiness models. as the services continue to identify efficiencies in overhead, support, and other less mission essential areas, i challenge the servic

you see air force one that landed about an hour and a half or so ago at the bagram air field. the president is in the presidential palace right no with karzai. it's now after midnight in kabul. pick p nick payton walsh is in kabul. what do we expect, what are afghan officials and u.s. officials in the afghan capital telling us? >> it has been a blanket of complete secrecy, shattered i must say about six hours ago where became clear afghan media reporting the possibility of a presidential visit here by barack obama about that that was immediately quashed buyer same statements by u.s. officials and everybody afghan officials desperate to keep this this rare trip under a say of svail of se. initially he went to bagram to meet troops there and then on to the afghan presidential palace in the heart of kabul here. locals remarking on the silence that key extended over the city. lockdown in some areas. and a real sense that something was about to happen, but nobody willing to really confirm what that was for obvious reasons. and i heard about an hour ago helicopters passing overhead,

finally, general philip brood jfr love, vice chair of the united states air force. welcome, general. >> madam chairman, senator ayotte, distinguished members of the subcommittee, thank you for your opportunity to be here today and tell our air force story. these are challenging times, and i commend you for your leadership and your efforts to ensure we have the best equipped and best trained military on the globe. it's an honor to be here to serve on behalf of our 690,000 active duty, guard, and reserve civilian airmen who serve alongside their soldiers, sailors, and marine guardsmen. i would like this time to share important items with you today. first, the readiness of your airmen after more than 20 years of continuous combat ops. and second, the steps we're taking to ensure a superbly train and equipped force which is ready to support our new strategic guidance, and bottom line, to avoid a hollow force while balancing risk. the american people are fully aware that our nation has been at war for over a decade. for our air force, however, we've been conducting comba

again, he has faith in the process that the air force undertook. absolutely. >> whether he thinks the disciplinary actions are appropriate. >> the answer is he has confidence that the air force took the appropriate steps here. yes. >> this morning the senate appropriations committee proved a military construction appropriations bill. within this they decide to cut ab entire construction bill saying the department of defense doesn't have a clear defense strategy. do you have any guidance on that? >> that we don't have a clear defense strategy? >> on the asia pacific region. >> on the asia pacific region. well, i think we've made it clear for the past several months that this department has a robust asia pacific strategy that is contained in the new u.s. tra teenagic guidance. the secretary was he was last in asia previewed much of that strategy. he talked about the united states being a pacific nation and a pacific power. he reiterated that several times in several locations in the region and on the continent. the asla pacific region is vital to u.s

air force academy.be seated. good morning, everybody. it is wonderful to be at the united states air force academy on such a spectacular day. and it is a privilege to join you in honoring the class of 2012. i want to thank secretary donnelly for his introduction but more importantly for his leadership generals gould, clark and borne, the academy, faculty and staff. the governor hickenlooper. members of congress, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen. i especially want to acknowledge a graduate of this academy who has kept our air force strong through a time of great challenge, a leader i've relied on and for whom today is his final commencement as chief of staff, general norton schwartz. nordie, suze, we are grateful for 39 years of extraordinary service to our nation. [ applause ] and although he is not with us today, i'm proud to have nominated another academy graduate, general mark welsh, as the next chief of staff. now, this is my second visit to the academy. i was here in the summer of 2008, a

turner to require the secretary of the air force to retain the core functions of air force materiel commandthat exists at the air force base in ohio. the chair now recognizes ms. roby from alabama for five minutes. >> thank you is to chairman. included this en bloc up and meant offered with representative conaway and representative blase. we know the previously authorize cuts are going to result in force production service granted i supported this spending reduction last year and i do not believe we should back way from that figure, however we have an obligation on this committee to determine the reductions stemming from congressional action are carried out in an effective manner to save taxpayer dollars while maintaining our force capability. while we should show some deference to recommend his decision the pentagon as the congress and explanation of the methodologies that underlie its decision regarding force structure. this obligation should apply across the board on major -- like the abrams tank, the global hawk and the c-130. many members of this committee are frustrated by the lack of

air force. she served stateside tours during the gulf war in support of troops overseas, watching her husband deploy and caring for her children and family while serving. she herself was mobilized for deployment but was called back. she retired from the air force after 20 years and after a stint at the bureau of indian affairs joined the center for women veterans and serves as the american indian veterans liaison for both centers. >> good afternoon. i'm a member, as you know, american indian, my tribe is seneca nation of indians up in new york state. i joined the military in 1980. when i first joined, a lot of people say, what might be a long time for a lot of people. when i joined the service, they did not have female uniforms. i had to wear male uniforms. they would always laugh at me because when i would go through an inspection line, my top pockets would be tucked in my pants. they would say how does that happen. i would go, well, the shirt was too long. they just had to try to get around th

mission against one enemy the soviet union well the soviet union maybe didn't buried but not the air force's new f. twenty two in fact getting in the air by the year two thousand and four is still the air force's number one priority and at one hundred sixty two million dollars a copy the fleet of f. twenty two this would cost taxpayers more than seventy billion dollars making it one of the most expensive planes ever built. so that was in one nine hundred ninety four today the estimates for what it actually cost per jet have skyrocketed depending on what measurement you use it's anywhere from one hundred thirty million to up to three hundred and sixty million per f. twenty two and how is there such a huge difference in the possible cost well it's a sad story that includes a lot of maintenance and upgrades to modernize the world's greatest fighter jet despite the fact that they were brand new so even though the government accountability office found that sixty seven billion dollars had already been spent they've estimated that at least another nine point seven billion would be spent on moderni

see air force one now taxiing. the president arriving for three separate fund-raisers that he'll be part of in the next 14 hours. the first exclusive dinner at $35,800 a plate at the atherton home of lisa and david goldman, the levi straus heir. the prices range from $250 up to $7,500 if you take a photo with the president. and then tomorrow morning the president will attend a roundtable to support the asian american pacific islander community in palo al it to. that also is a big ticket money item. >> and there it is. president obama coming in and the initial plan for tomorrow morning was to have that fund-raiser in palo alto. the president's team from the white house said they're changing the location from palo alto to the fairmont hotel in san jose and that's where the president will be staying tonight at the san jose fairmont. this will be his first event as president in san jose. he was in san jose in 2008 campaigning but this will be the first time he has an event as president in san jose. so an exciting time

it holds the air force to a plan for last year. so mr. chairman, overall, chairman bartlet has developed an excellent proposal for the members to consider. >> before entertaining amendments, is there any discussion on the sub committee's report? gentleman from ohio, mr. turner is recognized for five minutes. >> i want to thank chairman bartlett for his commitment to the industrial base and for his work with the heavy brigade combat team production lines. the issues of being concern with those lines going cold this will close down production facilities for a period of three to four years. we would lose the intellectual capitol of the people who worked there. and the production capability techniques to take us to the next generation t chairman is protecting that. it will happen to their long term capabilities if the administration's position was allowed to stand. thank you. >> any other discussion? are there any amendments to the sub committee's report? mr. chairman, i have an amendmen amendment. >> without objection the reading will be dis

--reporter pkg-as follows -- this is the future of the air force. it ight not scream top gun, but thesee ini aircraft are being designed to fly and communicate with one another, without a pilot.what we try to bring is things like gps accuracy that most people already know and love in the military we try to bring that kind of navigatton precision indoors and underground and n areas where gps typically doesn't work well. we take pdvantage of using signals of &popportunity wwich are am and fm radio stations or cell phone signals - signals that are just being transmmtted for a purpose other than navigation - if we can lock onto those ssgnals much like we lock nto gps signals then we can use those to help determine our position. lt. colleaguessare part of theeair force institute of technology at wright patterson air forcc baseein ohio. while the lab ttpicalll works ith smaller vehicles like remote technology is being tested n larger aircraft too.weeve worked with the air forcc research lab for doing automated aii refueling flight tests, and did flight te

and so, guided by our new defense strategy, we'll keep our military -- and our air force -- fast and lexible and versatile. we will maintain our military superiority in all areas -- air, land, sea, space and cyber. and we will keep faith with our forces and our military families. and as our newest veterans rejoin civilian life, we will never stop working to give them the benefits and opportunities that they have earned -- because our veterans have the skills to help us rebuild america, and we have to serve them as well as they have served us. [applause] i see an american century because we have the strongest alliances of any nation. from europe to asia, our alliances are the foundation of global security. in libya, all 28 nato allies played a role and we were joined by partners in the air from sweden to the gulf states. in afghanistan, we're in a coalition of 50 allies and partners. today, air force personnel are serving in 135 nations -- partnering, training, building their capacity. this is how peace and security will be upheld in the 21st century -- more nations bearing the costs a

that you can't put in any more than this number. >> the air force -- for the air force, about 99% of all jobs are open to women. so they at least on paper don't have any quotas. there's no -- and about 19% of the air force is currently female. navy is driven by how many berths aboard a ship can have female sailors. because of the way the officers are aboard ship, there's no limitation. because or very few limitations because of the way sleeping quarters are. there are only two to four to a room. so the navy has been stuck at about 14% to 15% women. and it's largely driven not so much because various occupations are closed to them, but because the way the ships are configured only x percent of a crew can be male or female. so the quotas work both ways in a sense. typically a crew might be about 80% male and about 20% female. but it varies from ship to ship. army and marine corps is a little bit different. large numbers of the jobs, the billets both the units and occupations are closed to women because they're infantry, armor, special forces or short range field artillery. and because