Defense Department officials are asking Congress to let the Air Force shift more than $536 million of its base-budget funds to higher priorities in fiscal year 2018, largely for research and development efforts, according to an omnibus reprogramming request signed by the Pentagon comptroller July 11. The request , obtained this week by Inside Defense , would also raise FY-17 base-budget funding by $271.5 million and FY-16 general funds by $130.1 million. In return, $820.4 million would come out of...