Polimeni: Pentagon U-2 decision a mistake

Our nation's enemies must be very confused, but more than a little pleased. Rather than continue the use of the Global Hawk, one of the most effective unmanned reconnaissance aircraft -- which is designed, in part, on Long Island by Northrop Grumman -- the Pentagon announced last week that it will heavily depend on the U-2 spy plane for a number of recon duties.

The U-2 was flying when Dwight Eisenhower was president. The same kind of aircraft was shot down by the Soviets during the Cold War. And the Chinese. And the Cubans.

Yet, as part of its budget-reduction program, the Pentagon says it will deploy the aging U-2, while discontinuing production of the current version of the innovative Global Hawk -- and potentially mothballing it. (The Navy will still use a small number of another version of the Global Hawk.)

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