House defense appropriators are recommending an additional $541 million to the Navy's aircraft procurement budget for three P-8A Poseidons, citing concerns that two Navy Reserve squadrons would otherwise be decommissioned in fiscal year 2023, according to a draft of the FY-20 defense spending bill released by the committee today. Lawmakers note an apparent disconnect between the Navy's updated requirement for 138 P-8As and the FY-20 budget request for six aircraft, bringing the service's total to 117 planes, the old requirement...
