The Defense Department announced Tuesday that it would eliminate the selective availability feature on new Global Positioning System satellites. That decision coincides with the view expressed earlier this year by the National Space-based Positioning, Navigation, and Timing Advisory Board. The Pentagon stopped using the SA feature, which permitted satellite operators to intentionally degrade the GPS signal, in May 2000, but the advisory group believes that the continued inclusion of the SA feature generated international mistrust at a time when alternatives to GPS are emerging.
The Air Force displayed all the firepower it has amassed on Okinawa in an unusually diverse show of force this week. IIn a May 6 “Elephant Walk,” Kadena Air Base showcased 24 F-35A Lightning II stealth fighters, eight F-15E Strike Eagles; two U.S. Army Patriot anti-missile batteries near the runway; and…