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The Air Force and Lockheed Martin have a plan to make the most of the F-22 fleet. As always, money will be an issue. By the end of next month, the last F-22 Raptor built—tail No. 4195—should complete final checkout tests, take off from Lockheed Martin’s plant at Marietta, Ga., and fly to its new home at JB Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska. Lt. Col. Paul D. Moga, once Air Combat Command’s F-22 demonstration pilot, and now commander of the 525th Fighter Squadron at Elmendorf, will fly it there. As that last delivery flight takes place, the Air Force will confront a long...

NRO's Andrew Stiles flags this exchange from Congressional Budget Office director Douglas Elmendorf's testimony before the Senate Budget Committee ealier this week: (Insert video segment) The quote that matters starts around 1:25, when Elmendorf says that, according to CBO's estimates, with the stimulus legislation in place, "the level of GDP would be a little lower at the end. That is, a net negative effect on the growth of GDP over 10 years." Elmendorf then confirms that CBO estimates that the economic drag will continue in the following decade: SESSIONS: And in the next 10 years, since you’re carrying that debt...

A U.S. Army specialist has been arrested at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Alaska on suspicion of espionage, an Army spokesman said on Tuesday. Specialist William Colton Millay, a 22-year-old military policeman, was taken into custody on October 28, Army spokesman Lt. Col. Bill Coppernoll told Reuters. Coppernoll said Millay, of Owensboro, Kentucky, was arrested following a joint espionage investigation conducted by the FBI and Army Counterintelligence special agents.

After two weeks of intense effort, a joint Air Force and Army team has suspended recovery and restoration efforts for the F-22 Raptor that crashed Nov. 16 near Cantwell, Alaska. An Air Force team did recover the remains of the pilot, Capt. Jeff Haney. Safety experts are now examining the wreckage as they seek to determine the cause of the accident. Air Force officials say much as been done to clean up the crash site but caution some risks remain. Any debris discovered by snowmachiners or others in the area should not be handled, said Air Force Col. (Dr.) Paul...

Hello Freepers, I am asking that you keep a family in your thoughts and prayers. The husband of my wife's high school friend was killed in the Elmendorf plane crash yesterday. It was a very sad day for all of us. He leaves behind his wife and two sons. Prayers up for this family. Thanks Freepers.

The nation’s fiscal path is “unsustainable,” and the problem “cannot be solved through minor tinkering,” the head of the Congressional Budget Office said Thursday morning. Doug Elmendorf, best known for arbitrating the costs of various health care proposals, added his voice to a growing chorus of economic experts who predict dire consequences if political leaders don’t scale back spending, increase taxes or both — and soon. Elmendorf noted a recent CBO report that pegged an increase in the public debt from $7.5 trillion at the end of 2009 to $20.3 trillion at the end of 2020 if President Barack Obama’s...

CBO Director Douglas Elmendorf told House Appropriations Legislative subcommittee Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.) that his staff has been working “100-hour weeks” and cannot keep up with the budgetary and economic impact queries lawmakers have about health care.

The president had no problem using our troops in South Korea for a photo op; the Narcissist in Chief actually acknowledged it. Only a pathological narcissist would expect soldiers serving far from home would appreciate the Commander in Chief’s need for a good photo op as the priority mission. The troops as props trick backfired during Obama’s Afghanistan speech when those few West Point cadets who managed to stay awake were photographed glowering at their commander. Our F-22 figher planes are not acceptable as stylistic props for this president. Obama demanded a shiny new fighter plane be removed from the...

When President Obama spoke to troops at Alaska's Elmendorf Air Force Base last month, the unit there parked a shiny new F-22 fighter plane in the hangar. But according to multiple sources, White House aides demanded the plane be changed to an older F-15 fighter because they didn't want Obama speaking in front of the F-22, a controversial program he fought hard to end. "White House aides actually made them remove the F-22-said they would not allow POTUS to be pictured with the F-22 in any way, shape, or form," one source close to the unit relayed. Stephen Lee, a...

I concluded the talk by emphasizing that fiscal policy is on an unsustainable path to an extent that cannot be solved by minor tinkering. The country faces a fundamental disconnect between the services the people expect the government to provide, particularly in the form of benefits for older Americans, and the tax revenues that people are willing to send to the government to finance those services. That fundamental disconnect will have to be addressed in some way if the budget is to be placed on a sustainable course.

Senator Kyl made the point that CBO assumptions on indexing fines were based on staff clarifications which do not reflect what is actually in the bill. Sen. Baucus tries to get Dr. Elmendorf to say the assumptions were in the bill, but Elmendorf says he cannot say that. Sen. Baucus ultimately ignores Sen. Kyl's question and calls on Sen. Kerry.

WASHINGTON – In a vote that should send chills up the spine of those satisfied with their current health insurance, Democrats in the Senate Finance Committee today rejected a Republican amendment that would allow Americans to keep their current health care coverage. Sponsored by U.S. Senator Orrin Hatch (R-UT), the amendment stated that the implementation of the final health care bill would not take place unless the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) was able to certify before Congress that the legislation would not cause more than 1,000,000 Americans to lose their current coverage. The amendment was rejected 10-13,...

<p>Budget chief contradicts Obama on Medicare costs Sep 22 05:49 PM US/Eastern By ERICA WERNER Associated Press Writer Comments (1) Email to a friend Share on Facebook Tweet this Bookmark and Share WASHINGTON (AP) - Congress' chief budget officer is contradicting President Barack Obama's oft-stated claim that seniors wouldn't see their Medicare benefits cut under a health care overhaul.</p>

Budget chief contradicts Obama on Medicare costs Sep 22 05:49 PM US/Eastern By ERICA WERNER Associated Press Writer Comments (1) Email to a friend Share on Facebook Tweet this Bookmark and Share WASHINGTON (AP) - Congress' chief budget officer is contradicting President Barack Obama's oft-stated claim that seniors wouldn't see their Medicare benefits cut under a health care overhaul. The head of the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, Douglas Elmendorf, told senators Tuesday that seniors in Medicare's managed care plans would see reduced benefits under a bill in the Finance Committee. The bill would cut payments to the Medicare Advantage plans...

Remember when Nancy Pelosi called private health insurers “villains” and “almost immoral” two months ago? Well, never mind, eh, Nancy? The Open Left blog reports exclusively that Pelosi will attend a fund-raiser next week hosted by villainous Steve Elmendorf, a registered lobbyist with almost immoral private health insurer, United Health. He’s throwing the party at his house on Sept. 24. Price of admission? $5,000 for PACs and $2,400 for individuals.

A new government health insurance plan sought by President Barack Obama and congressional Democrats could coexist with private insurers without driving them out of business, an analysis by nonpartisan budget experts suggests. The estimate by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office — seen as good news by Democrats — comes as leaders pushed Monday to make progress on health care overhaul before lawmakers go home for their August recess. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., says a floor vote is still possible in the next few days, and Democrats called a meeting of all their House members late Monday afternoon. In the...

The CBO released a new analysis of the House version of ObamaCare yesterday, after getting blasted by White House budget director Peter Orszag for “exaggerating” the costs associated with the proposal. Douglas Elmendorf tells Rep. Dave Camp (R), the ranking member of the Ways and Means Committee, that the changes proposed by the White House will have little impact on their cost analysis, and that in fact the news gets worse in the second decade after the first runs up a $239 billion deficit:

Following a blow from the Congressional Budget Office, Democratic leaders in Congress likely will make the case this week that the healthcare reform plan has multiple benefits and cost savings that cannot be scored by independent congressional accountants. Democrats are going to seek to convince skeptics that the healthcare overhaul has other provisions, such as prevention and wellness measures, that will provide benefits and save money, a House leadership aide told The Hill on Sunday.   Democrats on Sunday appeared to hold their fire against Congressional Budget Office (CBO) director Douglas Elmendorf after he issued a cost estimate on Saturday...

President Obama Uses Magnetism, Political Capital to Push Health Care Bill Swaying public opinion would go a long way toward convincing resistant lawmakers that a massive health care reform bill is vital and needed immediately. The task could be a heavy lift for the president, who so far is getting little love from either voters or Congress. -Snip- Adding to the suspicions about the bill are reports of a meeting held at the White House with a group that included Congressional Budget Office Director Dougles Elmendorf, who upset Democratic supporters of the plan by putting the $1 trillion-plus price tag...

Republicans insinuated Wednesday that President Obama is trying to influence the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) in order to get a favorable cost projection for his healthcare reform proposals. Administration officials invited Doug Elmendorf, the director of the CBO, to the White House on Monday to meet with Obama and senior officials. The invitation came a few days after Elmendorf testified that Democratic healthcare reform proposals crafted in the Senate and House would add to long-term government spending on healthcare, an assessment that some Democrats have called “devastating.” Obama’s advisers have claimed that healthcare reform will eventually reduce government spending. Republicans...

Here is video of a Fox News report that CBO Director Doug Elmendorf was ordered to the White House for a meeting with President Obama. This following Elmendorf's testimony last week contradicting Obama's claim that his health care plan will actually save money on health care costs. Elemendorf testified it would increase costs. Guest John Fund said he believes the meeting is "inappropriate," because Elmendorf reports to Congress, not to the President. But he also said he does not think the meeting is intended to "silence" Elmendorf. It may not be intended to outright order Elmendorf to be quiet, but...

Barack Obama disclosed an unusual meeting with the CBO, presumably its director Doug Elmendorf, in his Today Show appearance this morning with Meredith Viera. The relevant clip comes at the three-minute mark, where Viera challenges Obama on the CBO scoring of the health-care reform bills: OBAMA: And so, what we’ve got to do, is to bend the cost curve over the long term. And we’ve put forward a whole series of proposals to do that, and the Congressional Budget Office and every health care expert have looked at many of our proposals, and they’ve said, “You know, this has a...

Well, in an effort to push health care, it seems the only Truth is what comes out of the mouth of Senator Reid or the President, everyone else is not telling the truth or is a partisan. Reported in todays Washington Post, President Obama "Urged Congress to push past growing doubts......" As you likely know, the Congressional Budget office, an organization intended to review and assess the impact of legislation, stated something to the effect that the current health care bill moving though congress would likely increase the cost of health care and increase the deficit...... .....So apparently the President...

The director of the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office testified on Thursday that health care legislation proposed by House Democrats and the Senate health committee would not slow what he called the unsustainable government spending on medical care, but instead could drive the nation further into debt. The testimony by the director, Douglas W. Elmendorf, before the Senate Budget Committee drew unusually blunt criticism from both the House speaker, Nancy Pelosi of California, and the Senate majority leader, Harry Reid of Nevada, in a sign of their rising frustration over the difficulty in paying for the health care bills. Asked about...

6/23/2009 - ELMENDORF AIR FORCE BASE, Alaska -- Alaskan Governor Sarah Palin made a surprise visit to Sailors and personnel onboard the aircraft carrier USS John C. Stennis (CVN 74) on Monday during the military joint-training exercise Northern Edge 2009. The invitation came as a surprise for the governor, who jumped at the opportunity to visit U.S. service members and learn more about U.S. Navy operations. "This is such an honor to be here," Palin said. "It's a once in a lifetime opportunity for my husband Todd and I to see an aircraft carrier in action, and see what its...

Whether President Barack Obama and congressional Democrats succeed in crafting health insurance legislation may depend as much on faceless analysts in the Congressional Budget Office as it does on the political calculus of the situation. That’s because the CBO’s determination whether a specific proposal’s revenue and cost projections add up will go a long way toward determining if it will fly. If CBO concludes the legislation will cost more than expected, support for the bill might erode and it could go down to defeat. On the other hand, if the CBO estimates that a particular provision will save many billions...

ANCHORAGE, Alaska -- Elmendorf's commander will be honored later this week in a memorial service on base. Brig. Gen. Thomas Tinsley was found dead in his home Sunday night. Tinsley died of what appears to be a self inflicted gunshot wound to the chest, according to Air Force officials. They say no note was found. Representatives of the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology will make a final ruling on the cause of death. A memorial service for the brigadier general will be held 2 p.m. Thursday at hangar one. The service will be open to the public.

Elmendorf general dies of gunshot on base Air Force: Incident under investigation Anchorage Daily News Published: July 28th, 2008 08:26 AM Last Modified: July 28th, 2008 08:26 AM The commander of the Third Wing at Elmendorf Air Force died of a gunshot wound in his on-base residence Sunday night, the Air Force said this morning. Brig. Gen. Thomas L. Tinsley was declared dead around 10:30 p.m., according to a statement issued by the Air Force early this morning. Elmendorf medical authorities responded, the statement says. The incident is under investigation, the statement says, and no further details were provided.

'They were not afraid of us,' woman says. Neither the three women nor their dogs heard the pack of wolves creeping up behind them as they jogged on Artillery Road in the frigid morning air. One minute it was peaceful. Then she glanced back and saw the pack of about eight wolves spanning the road, only a few feet behind. A melee ensued, accompanied by screaming, snarling, blood and pepper spray. "It was the most terrifying thing I've ever been through."... The increasingly emboldened Elmendorf wolf pack is blamed for killing one dog and wounding another in Eagle River this...

U.S. Air Force Stations First Squadron of F-22s in Pacific AUGUST 21, 2007 07:13 Eight F-22 Raptors, America’s most cutting-edge stealth fighter, have been sent to the U.S. Air Force in the Pacific, with the possibility of military operations on the Korean peninsula. According to the U.S. Defense Department on August 20, the U.S. Air Force assigned eight F-22 fighters to Elmendorf Air Force Base in southern Alaska on August 8. By early next year, two squadrons or 40 F-22 fighters will have been deployed to the same location in Alaska. Regarding this deployment, Strategypage.com, a website on military affairs,...

11/18/2005 - ELMENDORF AIR FORCE BASE, Alaska (AFPN) -- Anchorage police are calling two Airmen heroic for their actions in helping catch a truck thief. Staff Sgts. Joseph Harder and William Young, of the 3rd Equipment Maintenance Squadron’s aerospace ground equipment section, pulled off the feat. The two were on their way to a restaurant, for a going-away luncheon, when a delivery truck crossed their path Nov. 9. “We had just pulled into the parking lot when the truck cut us off,” Sergeant Harder said. “Then we noticed the delivery driver running after his truck with his hands in the...

11/15/2005 - ELMENDORF AIR FORCE BASE, Alaska (AFPN) -- President George Bush stopped here on the first leg of his week-long Asia tour and thanked servicemembers and civilians for volunteering to serve and continuing the fight the global war on terrorism. It was the president’s second visit here. He spoke for nearly 45 minutes with more than 4,500 servicemembers and civilian workersfrom all the services . Army Staff Sgt. Joshua Ferguson was one the nearly 3,500 military members at the event. The Headquarters Company, 1st Battalion, 501st Parachute Infantry Regiment troop from Fort Richardson, Alaska, was excited to see the...

ELMENDORF AIR FORCE BASE, Alaska (Reuters) - President George W. Bush on Monday sought to counter Democratic critics of the Iraq war by turning their own past words of warning about Saddam Hussein against them. "Reasonable people can disagree about the conduct of the war -- but it is irresponsible for Democrats to now claim that we misled them and the American people," Bush said in a campaign-style speech accusing Democrats of playing politics with the issue and trying to rewrite the past. He spoke to U.S. troops in an air base hangar in Alaska, a refueling spot for Air...