Defense Systems Journal

As noted in our last post, the FY10 Defense Appropriations bill, which passed overwhelmingly on Tuesday in the Senate, contained among its provisions, some $2.5 billion in unrequested funding for ten additional C-17 airlifters.

In thwarting the Obama Administration's fervent attempt to close the GLOBEMASTER line, a bipartisan supermajority of Senators -- as reflected in the 68-30 margin by which Sentors voted to reject a McCain amendment stripping the C-17 funding -- sent a strong message that they could not counted on to rubber stamp the Administration's defense reform blueprint.

But in including the C-17s, as noted below, the Senate only stepped up to the line drawn by the President... now we know that House and Senate Defense Authorizers have gone much farther.

As confirmed in the FY10 Defense Authorization Conference Report highlights released today. Authorizers have significantly altered the PRESBUD request, challenging the President's veto threat with respect to the F-35 GE/Rolls Royce alternate engine (F-136) , for which they allocated some $430 million in development funding and an initial $130 million for production.

Now we will see who blinks... here's guessing that it's the White House.

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