Lawmakers are constantly caught between balancing the needs of the federal government while staying true to the voters at home. Such is the case in this year's fight to maintain the Air National Guard (ANG) and Reserve, which lends a hand to the active duty military while also standing ready to serve all 50 states. Congress balked at the Air Force's initial proposal to cut 287 aircraft and 11,600 personnel, ordering a freeze on retiring or transferring aircraft.

A year-end deadline for the Air Force and Navy to disclose the target initial operational capability (IOC) dates for the Lockheed Martin F-35 Joint Strike Fighter was extended until June 1, 2013, in the last days of congressional conference negotiations over the 2013 defense budget. Programs are considered to have reached the benchmark once they complete initial operational test and evaluation.

European Union law does allow “public interventions” for airlines when they are made on terms that a private investor operating under normal market conditions would accept. When the “private investor” principle is not respected, (e.g. shareholders refuse to inject more funds), the support by public authorities constitutes state aid because the beneficiary receives an economic advantage that its competitors do not.

The European Commission (EC) is between a rock and a hard place with more European airlines turning to their governments for financial support. It can either strictly apply its state aid rules and risk more bankruptcies, or the EC can compromise its tough stance and help struggling carriers to survive.

First the good news: The latest slump in the financial health of the airline industry appears to have bottomed out. Any celebration will be muted, however, since the recovery could be so gradual that it may not be noticeable in many major markets.

In November 2008, the year Wanda Austin became CEO of The Aerospace Corp., Aviation Week & Space Technology featured her on the cover with a three-page profile inside. “The fact that Austin is a woman and an African-American is impossible to miss,” the magazine wrote.

As part of Boeing and Embraer's recent pact to cooperate on commercial aircraft features designed to enhance safety and efficiency, the two airframers are planning an initiative to reduce runway excursions. These have resulted in more than 780 fatalities in 15 accidents from 2002-11.

Sen. Barbara Mikulski (D-Md.), currently the longest-serving woman in Congress, will now become the first woman to lead one of what is perhaps its most powerful panels, the Senate Appropriations Committee. Mikulski takes control of the committee after the recent death of Sen. Daniel Inouye (D-Hawaii), who had chaired the full committee since 2009 and led Democrats on the defense subcommittee since 1989. And she will serve alongside Sen. Richard Shelby (Ala.), who will lead Republicans on the panel.