Should DOD create a single agency to guard America from cruise missile attack? It’s a serious issue getting lots of think-tank attention. Yet when a reporter asked Donald Rumsfeld about it, he responded, in effect, “I’ll get back to you.” What he actually said was, “It’s not something that’s on my radar screen at the moment.” The issue will be back, especially for the Air Force; the service has frequently noted that the F/A-22 fighter is about the only system able to deal with these low-flying, hedge-hopping missiles.
A new Air Force organization is searching for counter-drone firms to participate in a dozen or more exercises to help create operating plans by the end of this year for defending the service’s U.S.-based installations from drone attacks.