Will We See the Donald Report?

Will We See the Donald Report?: Adm. Mike Mullen, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said yesterday he is not sure if the Pentagon leadership intends to release the so-called “Donald report,” which is currently a classified work. “My objective would be to learn as much from this as we possibly can ... and move forward. How we do that, I am just not sure,” Mullen told defense reporters in Washington, D.C. At the request of Defense Secretary Robert Gates, Adm. Kirkland Donald investigated the case of the mistaken shipment of Minuteman III ICBM components to Taiwan in 2006. The case came to light only in March of this year. Donald’s findings, highlighted by Gates during a June 5 press briefing, criticized USAF for alleged systemic shortcomings in its stewardship of nuclear weapons and materials. This led Gates to ask for the resignations of Air Force Secretary Michael Wynne and Chief of Staff Gen. Michael Moseley. At this point, Mullen said, “The Air Force leadership has certainly seen it.”

6/11/2008

On the Record

Mission One
"The health and safety of our pilots—all of our pilots—is our utmost priority. Our operational flight surgeons and our medical staff interact with our pilots on a daily basis."
—Brig. Gen. Daniel Wyman, Air Combat Command command surgeon, speaking to reporters during a teleconference, May 9, 2012. He was emphasizing that the Air Force is doing all it can to ensure the safety of F-22 pilots as service officials continue to home in on the cause of why some Raptor pilots have experienced hypoxia-like symptoms in the cockpit like difficulty concentrating, fatigue, headaches, and nausea.

On the Record

Message to Congress
"If you give us force structure back, give us the money, too. Because the quickest way I know to a hollow force is to give us structure without money. Simple as that. . . . 'Make it work' is not a satisfactory solution."
—Chief of Staff Gen. Norton Schwartz articulating his message to lawmakers on the Air Force's Fiscal 2013 budget proposal during a speech at the Stimson Center in Washington, D.C., May 1, 2012. The Air Force leadership has proposed reducing force structure and personnel next fiscal year in order to maintain a ready and capable force as the service absorbs significant spending cuts.