The chief of the National Guard Bureau, Army Lt. Gen. Steven Blum, believes Operation Jump Start is a “magnificent mission” that is “making a very, very big, positive difference.” On a week-long visit to see some of the 6,000 Army and Air National Guardsmen who are augmenting the US Border Patrol in all ways except actual law enforcement, Blum noted that morale among the Guardsmen is “extra high.” He added, “I haven’t met a soldier or airman here yet who doesn’t think they’re doing something that’s making a positive difference.”
The Space Development Agency added 21 satellites to its nascent data transport network in an Oct. 15 launch, the second mission in a 10-month campaign to field 154 operational spacecraft.
