SecDef: I haven't seen a full Israeli plan to protect civilians in Rafah. Hours after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israeli troops would push into the Rafah territory despite peace talks with Hamas and pressure from the Biden administration, Austin said he has “not seen a number of things that we believe that will have to happen” for the operation to proceed.”
“We certainly would want to see things done in a much different way” than elsewhere in Gaza, Austin told a House Armed Services Committee hearing. D1’s Patrick Tucker reports.
Air Force declares major cost breach for new helicopter program. The service wants to halve the number of MH-139 Grey Wolf helicopters it is buying this year, which has sent the unit cost soaring far above predictions. D1’s Audrey Decker has more, here.
Today on Capitol Hill, Navy and Marine leaders are testifying about their annual budget request before the House Armed Services Committee. That began at 10 a.m. ET. Details here; livestream here.
Vice chiefs are speaking to a senate panel looking into “readiness of the Joint Force” at 2 p.m. ET. Details here.
And national security space programs are the focus of a House panel hearing slated for 3:30 p.m. ET. Details here; livestream via YouTube, here.
Also in Washington: Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Navy Adm. Chris Grady will visit the Center for Strategic and International Studies for a discussion on the Pentagon’s Joint Warfighting Concept 3.0, which CSIS describes as “a renewed framework for addressing emerging threats and protecting America’s interests abroad.” That’s slated for 1 p.m. ET. Details here.
Two retired general officers just joined the advisory staff at Booz Allen Hamilton: Roy Kitchener, a retired vice admiral, and David Gaedecke, a retired Air Force two-star, joined as senior executive advisors under BAH’s defense business, the firm announced Wednesday.
Kitchener last commanded Naval Surface Forces and Naval Surface Forces Pacific during a four-year term that ended in 2023. He’ll be consulting on BAH’s artificial intelligence, readiness, cybersecurity, and logistics specializations.
Gaedecke last served as vice commander of the service's Sixteenth Air Force at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland in Texas, with an emphasis on electronic warfare and U.S. surveillance assets worldwide. He’ll soon be working with BAH’s Digital Battlespace Platform and global defense business leadership teams, the firm said Wednesday. More, here.
Lastly today: Defense One’s parent company is launching a new space-focused site. To explain a bit about it, here’s a note from GovExec360 editor-in-chief Frank Konkel: “Space exploration is more than a series of scientific discoveries and technological advancements. It’s an interest that brings humanity together as we all gaze upward to ask: what else is out there, and what does it mean for our future? We aim to answer those questions with our newest brand, The GovExec Space Project. Here, you’ll be able to find groundbreaking data, insights, and editorial coverage, along with exclusive events, conversations with space leaders, collaboration opportunities, and more. At its heart, space exploration is a shared human pursuit. The question is, do you want to be a part of it?” To learn more, poke around the site here.