The incoming Defense Secretary has requested Deputy Defense Secretary Robert Work to try and "significantly reduce" costs yesterday, according to The Hill. Up for chopping are the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program and Air Force One.
Work is going to consider Boeing's F/A-18 Super Hornets, which cost anywhere from $29-$57 million each depending on the model, according to the Navy. Although they lack stealth capabilities, the Navy and the Marine Corps use them, and you may remember their starring role in Operation Desert Storm. They are much cheaper than Lockheed Martin's F-35s, which make up the costliest Pentagon acquisition program ever at nearly $400 billion.
Why this matters: Trump took to Twitter after the election to criticize expensive weapons programs. Defense-company CEOs have pledged to bring their costs down
BTW: Mattis told folks at the Pentagon they shouldn't call him Mad Dog. It's Jim.
