Jeff has been involved in aerospace journalism since the mid 1990s. Prior to joining Aviation Week, Jeff served as managing editor of Launchspace magazine and the International Space Industry Report. He has been the editor and chief of Aviation Week's Aerospace Daily & Defense Report since 2007 and has been a regular contributor to Aviation Week magazine. He received his B.A. from the College of William & Mary in Williamsburg, Va.
The U.S. Army's topline budget request for fiscal 2007 is $110.4 billion, which includes $3.566 billion for aircraft purchases and $3.311 billion for the Future Combat Systems program. The topline request is scheduled to rise steadily over the next few years, reaching $123.4 billion in FY '11, according to service officials.
The Missile Defense Agency (MDA) is delaying development of a second aircraft in the Airborne Laser (ABL) program until after ABL's first scheduled shootdown test in late 2008. The delaying of trade studies and initial engineering on the second aircraft will allow for more refinement of the design, the agency said in budget documents released Feb. 6.
The Pentagon's 2006 Quadrennial Defense Review (QDR) calls for a 15 percent increase in special operations forces in fiscal 2007, along with accelerated unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) procurement to improve the military's persistent surveillance. This latest QDR, a congressionally mandated 20-year defense outlook, continues the Pentagon's increased emphasis on special operations forces (SOF) in the post-Cold War fight against global terrorism. The SOF budget has risen 81 percent since 2001, according to the QDR.
