US lawmakers warn that “more military spending is absolutely necessary” to ensure Pentagon’s readiness
The US Congress has raised concerns about how inflation rates and cuts in main acquisition programmes could affect the US military.
JetBlue Airways has reported its traffic figures for December 2009 and for the whole of last year.
In December, the airline increased revenue passenger miles (RPMs) to 2,280,201,000 from 2,122,020,000 in December 2008, an increase of 7.5%, on a capacity increase in available seat miles (ASMs) of 6.6% to 2,848,699,000 from 2,671,710,000.
The load factor for the month was 80.0%, an increase of 0.6 points from December 2008’a 79.4%. Revenue passengers carried rose by 6.4% to 1,960,367 from 1,841,761.
JetBlue's preliminary completion factor was 96.8% and its on-time performance was 66.8%. The carrier’s preliminary passenger revenue per available seat mile (RASM) for December decreased by 3% year-over-year.
Over the whole of 2009, RPMs fell by 0.4% to 25,955,397,000 from 26,070,799,000, while ASMs rose 0.4% to 32,557,502,000 from 32,442,332,000. This resulted in a 0.7 pp drop in load factor to 79.7% from 80.4%. Passengers carried in 2009 totalled 22,449,945, a 2.4% increase over 2008’s figure of 21,920,442.
The US Congress has raised concerns about how inflation rates and cuts in main acquisition programmes could affect the US military.
Washington’s ageing inventory and the pace Moscow and Beijing have been modernising their capabilities put in check the US Nuclear deterrence.
The Pentagon has been operating under temporary funding since October 2023, which has impacted its main acquisition and development programmes, increasing the capability gap between the US and China.
In 2023, defence spending increased by an unprecedented 11% across European NATO countries and Canada. Since 2014, the group has spent an additional US$600 billion on defence.
The DoD requested nearly US$850 billion to fund operations over the next fiscal year. Despite the amount being 1% higher than the FY2024 budget request, it has not covered the 3% inflation rate, which could impact the DoD’s main programmes in the medium and long term.
As gangs gain control of Port-au-Prince, Haiti’s Caribbean neighbours have been preparing to intervene in the failed state, with the US and other partners waiting in the wings with equipment and financial support.