Not This Week

Top Defense Department officials involved with the Joint Strike Fighter program will not be appearing on Capitol Hill this week after all.

A hearing of the Senate Armed Services airland subcommittee scheduled for Tuesday afternoon has been canceled; its witness list included Vice Adm. David Venlet, the F-35's program executive officer; Air Force Lt. Gen. Janet Wolfenbarger, the service's military deputy for acquisition; and Vice Adm. Walter Skinner, the Navy's principal military deputy for research, development and acquisition.

A notice on the committee website states that the hearing will be rescheduled at a later date, which has not yet been determined.

In other F-35 news, workers at Lockheed Martin's plant in Forth Worth, TX, where the Joint Strike Fighter is manufactured, have voted to go on strike. According to a report from the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, union members rejected a company contract proposal yesterday that would have limited pensions and healthcare options, and the strike officially began at 12:01 a.m. today. It's unclear what effect the strike might have on F-35 assembly, but a drawn-out picket of the production line likely would delay JSF deliveries.