The Air Force plans in March to send officials to Malmstrom AFB, Mont., to evaluate the ability of the installation to take on a new mission—possibly even aircraft. It would not be a USAF unit, rather one under the Department of Homeland Security, according to the Helena (Mont.) Independent-Reporter. Sen. Conrad Burns (R-Mont.) secured the USAF commitment to conduct an “attributes study,” saying it took “five meetings on this subject” over a two-week period. An optimistic Burns noted than in March the USAF team would agree that “Malmstrom is a first-class facility.”
The Space Development Agency says it’s on track to issue its next batch of missile warning and tracking satellite contracts this month after those awards were delayed by the Pentagon’s decision to divert funds from the agency to pay troops during this fall’s prolonged government shutdown.
