One of the key problems facing the U.S. military is the pressing need for force modernization. Most of its defense hardware — tanks, jets, fighting ships — are leftovers from the Reagan era defense build-up. And some are even older: like the KC-135 Stratotanker, the B-52 bomber, the M102 howitzer, and the AC-130 gunship –– all of which were developed, produced, and fielded before the Vietnam War.

Rep. Buck McKeon (R-Calif.) has laudably been a strong supporter of modernization. In a House Armed Services Committee press release this week, McKeon said: