The head of the Air Intelligence Agency, Brig. Gen. Jan-Marc Jouas, has taken exception to comments attributed to Army Brig. Gen. Stephen Mundt criticizing the Air Force effort to become executive agent for unmanned aerial vehicles—at least the relatively large and high-flying ones. Jouas writes in an open op-ed that Mundt “disparaged” Air Force efforts to “optimize our nation’s intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance capabilities” and his “caustic comments … would have been better aimed at reducing competing UAV programs and mission redundancies.” Jouas goes on to say the Air Force objectives are to improve “joint force commander’s command, control, and employment of medium – and high-altitude UAVs operating above 3,500 feet and to eliminate duplicative acquisition efforts, reducing cost and ensuring interoperability. Earlier this week, Air Combat Command boss Gen. Ronald Keys expressed his frustration, saying that, if the UAV situation is left untended, there will be mid-air collisions and frequency conflicts.
Members of the House Armed Services Committee say the AIM-260 Joint Advanced Tactical Missile program has been set back three months due to the ongoing government shutdown. The comment is noteworthy because the JATM's status has been kept tightly under wraps.
