Officials at Beale AFB, Calif., say the base has flown its first operational Air Combat Command flight with one of the two RQ-4 Global Hawk unmanned aerial vehicle’s now assigned to the California base. It was “the first of many training missions designed to prepare our crews for missions over Iraq and Afghanistan and worldwide in the global war on terror,” said Brig. Gen. H.D. Polumbo Jr., commander of the 9th Reconnaissance Wing at Beale. The base received its first operational RQ-4 in 2004 and the second earlier this month.
Army Building Up New Space Operations Branch
Oct. 15, 2026
The Army has long been dependent on space capabilities to navigate terrain, communicate in hard-to-reach areas, and identify and strike targets. Now, the service wants to deepen its space operations expertise and is making plans to expand its own cadre of operators in the coming years.